Savior
by Amoral-Loyaler
Summary: After having visions of the Winchester brothers, Elena learns that her role in their lives is much more important than she thought. Supernatural season 9. Vampire Diaries season 1. Rated M for language, violence, sexual situations
1. Welcome to the Club

OoOoO

"You're just going to leave him in there?" Kevin asked.

Dean stared at him and then looked over to Sam. Sam shrugged. Dean watched his brother wearily. Ezekiel healing Sam's body was the only option Dean had had, but it still wasn't sitting right with him. He just kept telling himself it was keeping Sam alive.

"He'll break soon enough." Dean moved to find a bottle of whiskey. They had asked Crowley for information on demons and who they were possessing. They had to have something to go on. But, of course, Crowley refused. Sam and Dean decided the silence would be enough to break him.

"Now what?" Kevin looked to the brothers.

Just then Dean's phone rang, "Hello?"

"Dean."

He let out a sigh of relief, "Cas, you okay?"

"I am fine. How is Sam?"

"Everything is okay on our end. We have Crowley locked up." Dean explained.

"I have a message for you." Castiel spoke solemnly.

"What's going on? A message from who?" Dean asked eagerly.

"God I believe." Cas said.

"Not this again." Dean rubbed his eyes.

"Dean there is someone who can help you and Sam. She is your savior." Castiel sounded very convinced that all this was true; while Dean was still trying to believe that God was contacting Castiel.

"C'mon Cas you don't believe that." Dean muttered.

"Have faith Dean."

"Yeah well my faith is wearing a little thin. I apologize." Dean said sarcastically.

"She can heal Sam." Castiel said.

Dean looked to his brother, "Sam is fine. He's walking and talking just like normal."

"This way is better."

Dean thought of the fallen angels words. He looked at his brother, who was now chatting with Kevin. He looked okay, but Dean knew if Cas was saying this, there must be some truth to it. With Crowley not talking and no leads, what was there to lose?

"Where is my so called savior?"

Sam looked up, his brow furrowed.

"A town called Mystic Falls." Castiel said.

OoOoOo

"Anything? Come on Bonnie." Elena asked urgently. For the last few weeks she had been plagued with visions and dreams of men she had never met doing thing she hadn't known existed. Trying to seal off hell and prophets and angels, everything seemed to be too much.

However, Elena could not believe that what she was seeing was false. With finding out about Stefan's vampirism and Bonnie's powers, Elena knew there was more out there. And she felt drawn to the men. She pieced together that they were brothers guided by an angel. She knew it sounded ridiculous and she would never bring herself to say any of it out loud.

She turned to Bonnie as a last ditch effort to see if she could pick anything. So far it was looking rather bleak. "No Elena. Are you sure you aren't dreaming?" Bonnie looked at her friend, searching her face for answers.

"During the day, when I'm wide awake? I don't think so." Elena muttered.

"Did you ask Stefan?" Bonnie was clearly frustrated.

"No. And don't say anything to him." Their relationship was so new; Elena did not want to bring her hallucinations into the mix.

Elena stood up and shrugged. "Look don't worry about it. I haven't seen or heard anything since two nights ago. Maybe it was temporary insanity." Elena tried to explain it away, even though she knew it was much more.

Bonnie blew out the candles and started to put everything away. Elena watched her friend, "Thank you for trying. I really appreciate it."

Bonnie nodded and gave Elena a quick hug; "I'll see you tomorrow."

Elena walked Bonnie to the door and quickly closed it behind her. What was she supposed to do? Something in her felt off, wrong. She knew she was supposed to be doing something more. Maybe she was supposed to pursue whatever she was seeing? Help them? That was what everything in her being told her. They needed her. But who were they? And most importantly where were they?

"Is Bonnie still here?" Elena's Aunt Jenna came down the stairs.

"No she just left. I think I'm going to go to the Grill." Elena looked up at her Aunt.

"Is everything alright? You've been a little strange lately."

Elena hated to worry her. "Yes, I'm just busy with the squad and classes."

"How are things with Stefan?"

"Fine. I'm going, so I'll see you tonight?" Elena leaned up and kissed her aunt on the cheek.

Elena decided to walk instead of drive. She needed to clear her head. It was bizarre to her how everything appeared to be normal, but she knew that it was all a charade. If she could handle learning about witches and vampires, why was this anything different?

Elena took a turn down an alleyway, the faster way to the Grill. Her heart jumped when she was grabbed from behind. Her hands locked over whoevers had taken a hold of her. A parade of images flew into her mind. It was the brothers. She had seen their whole life in mere seconds. Every happy moment, every tear, each heartbreak. For a brief moment Elena was so overwhelmed she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Stop moving. I'm not here to hurt you." A gruff voice halted her actions.

"Dean?" She whispered. She had no idea where the name came from. It was as if someone had just whispered it into her thoughts. She was released from his grasp.

Elena quickly turned around and stared at him. He was just as she had seen him in her thoughts. Dean was handsome and scary at the same time. He was a man who had been through hell and back, literally from what Elena had just seen. The things he had experienced. It was unreal. It appeared that he had no idea that Elena had just seen his whole life unfold.

Dean ignored her and looked back at Sam. "Come on, she's a kid. She can't save us." Dean bit out angrily, feeling like they had wasted the last two days driving to Mystic Falls.

"Dean. Castiel wouldn't send us out here for nothing. She has to be useful." Sam said. Exhaustion was starting to hit him.

Elena stared at them both, shocked to see them in person and in her hometown. She was not afraid though. In fact, when she thought about it, she seemed oddly at ease.

"I'm not a kid." Elena managed to say.

Dean stared at her and raised his eyebrow, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." Elena told him, maintaining eye contact. Her birthday was just last week. In this moment, it seemed like it was so long ago. Dean rolled his eyes. Seventeen? No way this was going to work.

Dean looked her up and down and then scowled. "You know who we are?" Dean asked pointing to himself and Sam.

She nodded, "Dean and Sam Winchester."

"What else do you know?" Dean asked.

"Sam didn't complete the third trial. Angels have fallen. So Castiel must be human now. That's all." Elena hesitantly told them. It felt bizarre to say aloud. She decided it was best to keep quiet about seeing Dean's entire life. Perhaps, she would tell one day.

"Do you know what you are?" Sam stepped forward.

Elena shrugged, "I just had these visions of you guys and here you are."

"You need to come with us." Dean said right away. Elena could see he was in no mood to argue.

"Leave with you? I can't just pick everything up and go with you. I don't even know you." Elena gave the appropriate response. Yet, part of her was telling her to go. Stop fighting and go.

"Look my brother needs help and apparently you're the one who can do that. So when I say we're leaving, we're leaving." Dean barked at her.

"Dean. Calm down," Sam paused, "Elena it would be much appreciated if you would go home and pack some belongings. We have quite the drive to get back."

"Yeah a two day drive." Dean could not get his anger under control. He was tired of depending on others. He was tired of these situations. He was so ready to give up, but he knew that was not an option.

"No. I can't." Elena said once more.

"Elena, I know you don't understand right now, but we'll try and explain everything to you." Sam tried to ease her into subduing.

"My friends are here and family. Not to mention I have school and the team needs me. I have a life here." Elena had no idea why she was arguing. It was like her mouth just kept going, even though she knew she was going to go with the brothers.

"Here's how it's going to go. We are going to drive you home. You will pack some bags. Then we are leaving." Dean laid it out plain and simple. If she was going to be of such a help to them, there was no more room for arguing.

Elena felt a pull towards him and she wondered if he felt it too. She could not explain it. She felt like she knew him better than anyone else, but they had only just met.

Sam put his hand to Elena's shoulder, "Trust me when I say, I know this is going to be difficult. We will do what we can to protect your loved ones. It is best for them if you leave. I've seen my whole family torn apart, our friends too. Trust me, it is not something you want."

At the thought of harm coming to her family Elena tensed. She would not be able to live with herself if anything happened to Jeremy or Jenna. Dean stared at her as she came to terms with what she had to do. If he had not been so worked up he would have noticed how beautiful she was, how innocent she appeared to be.

"How am I supposed to help you?" Elena looked to both of them for guidance.

Sam gently smiled, "We'll figure it out. Together." Sam had a much more gentle approach than Dean, but Elena knew that.

Dean straightened.

Elena nodded.

"This is crap." Dean said as he turned and walked back to the Impala. A seventeen-year-old girl who had never even been exposed to their hunter culture was supposed to help them? Dean saved girls like her all the time it seemed. She was useless and was more of a hindrance in his eyes. Though part of him felt some ease due to her presence. Her deep brown eyes seemed to penetrate his and bring him an inexplicable comfort.

Elena took a breath. "Okay. I don't want anyone to get hurt." She shrugged. She did not know whether she was making the wrong decision, but she felt as if she had no other choice.

Dean watched as Elena moved to the backseat of the Impala. Sam sat up front, beside Dean. They drove in complete silence except for Elena giving directions to her home. They were each consumed in their thoughts. Dean was torn about what he was supposed to do with Elena and worry for Sam. Elena was just trying to process what was happening.

"My Aunt Jenna is not going to let me just leave. Things don't work like that." Elena said to Dean as they pulled up in front of the house.

Dean rolled his eyes, "We can explain to her what is happening, but there's a small chance she will let you go anyway."

Elena exhaled roughly, "Well come on in."

They walked up to Elena's longtime home.

"Come on." Elena murmured as they walked upstairs.

Dean looked around the house trying to get a feel of who Elena was. The house was typical, nothing too special. Her bedroom was a different story. After finally having his own bedroom, Dean understood how a simple room could become a place of solace. In that moment he wanted nothing to be back in the bunker in his room.

Elena's room was filled with pictures of her and her friends. In some pictures she was in her cheerleading uniform, in others she was casually dressed. There was a picture of her and her family that Dean felt the urge to take, but didn't. He subtly watched Elena pack up her life into a few duffel bags.

"You know the Salvatore brothers?" Sam asked Elena.

"Yes." She was too busy stuffing clothes into her bag to really focus on the question.

"They are vampires." Sam said bluntly. Sam had read in their father's journal about a run in with the brothers. He had let them live, but he never knew why.

Dean flashed his eyes to his so-called savior. "Yes they are." She made a mental note to call Stefan whenever they got to where they were going. It was a horrible way break the news of her departure, but it was the best she could do. She knew she would be back to Mystic Falls one day.

"You hang around with vampires. That's just awesome." Dean said sarcastically. It kept getting better.

She threw her hands down, exasperated. "Listen Dean, I have no idea what is happening right now. And I am doing my best to just go along with it because I want to help you and Sam. So can you just knock it off for five minutes? Please?" Elena looked at him with pleading eyes. Sam eyed his brother.

Dean felt a pang of guilt for jumping on her once again. Sam watched the exchange closely, noting the shift in Dean's emotions. Before Dean could say anything else, Jenna walked into the room.

"What's going on?" She asked seeing Elena's bags.

Elena rubbed the back of her neck, "Jenna, I have to leave. I know this makes absolutely no sense to you right now. But I'm protecting you. Please trust me."

"Leave? Where are you going? And who are these men?" She eyed both of them.

"They're my friends. Please don't make this any harder than it is." Elena was doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She could see the fear and sadness creeping onto Jenna's face. And she knew she was the reason for it.

"Elena, I'm supposed to take care of you. I'm not letting you go anywhere." Jenna was usually very lenient, but not on this. She had a duty to watch and take care of Elena and Jeremy and she was going to follow through on it.

Just then Sam's demeanor changed. He stiffened and walked over to Jenna and touched two fingers to her forehead. Elena gasped and ran over to her aunt. "What are you doing?" Elena yelled.

Ezekiel turned to face Elena, "You are important to the Winchesters. You must come with us."

Dean stepped towards the angel, "Alright, alright," he turned to face Elena, "Sam was hurt, and he almost died. Look, he doesn't know that there's an angel inside of him. Your aunt is going to be fine, ok? Just, you can't say anything to Sam." Dean was trying to diffuse the situation.

Elena took a breath and nodded, "Okay, but can you at least move her to my bed?"

Ezekiel picked Jenna up effortlessly and moved her. When he turned back to face them, Sam looked around, "What happened?"

"She fainted." Dean effortlessly lied. Sam looked confused, but Elena just shrugged.

"Let's get moving." Dean motioned for everyone to leave. Dean stood in Elena's bedroom a moment longer to assess everything. Jenna was now sitting on the bed a second away from crying. He hoped this was the right decision.

"I'm going to sleep in the back." Sam muttered as soon as Dean made it out to the Impala.

"Ok. You should probably get some rest." Elena attempted to be of help to her new cohort. Dean gave her a grateful look. He wondered if Sam's tiredness was from Ezekiel.

Sam nodded and gave her a quick smile as they loaded into the car.

OoOoOo

Ten hours into the car ride and Sam was still asleep. Dean had ACDC playing at a soft volume, while Elena just looked out the window. She felt oddly comfortable, despite how bizarre the situation was.

"She'll forgive you. You are doing what's best." Dean broke the silence. He wanted to make her feel better and he could not explain it. He had been in this lifestyle is whole life and he met a lot of people. And with that, he had become attached to a select few and most of them were gone now. But Elena was different. There was a pull towards her that he could not explain. He knew absolutely nothing about her but it did not feel that way.

Elena glanced at him.

"Are you saying that because I'm going to help you or because you mean it?" Elena asked pointedly.

Dean paused, "I guess both."

Elena smiled softly at his honesty.

"You haven't asked a lot of questions. Most seventeen year olds wouldn't be so compliant, especially when two strangers show up. Why is that?" Dean knew something was off the second she agreed so easily.

Elena thought of all she had seen. She had seen each brother die, as well as their mother, father, and friends. She had seen the hunts and the killing. Every life the brothers had touched, she had the honor of watching. She knew they weren't evil or going to hurt her. But how could she explain that to Dean without telling him everything?

"I trust you." It was not a total lie.

Dean shook his head, "Do you have any idea what you got yourself into?"

"Let's face it Dean, if I would have fought you, you would have gotten me to go with you one way or another."

"You're right about that one."

Elena cleared her throat, "You don't think I can help you, either of you."

Dean looked at the girl beside him. She was something else, he had gathered that much.

"Can you blame me? No offense Elena, but you just got thrust into a world you know nothing about. You don't know the half of what's out there and you don't have a clue on how to defend yourself." Dean told her.

She shook her head.

While she was knowledgeable about the demons and monsters that roamed the earth, she was unwise when it came to how to defend herself. She had never been in a fight, never shot a gun. She was an easy target. And that made her a liability.

"Teach me." She said simply.

Dean laughed and then realized she was being serious.

"You want to learn? You couldn't handle it." Dean had become the shell of a man he was once. His number one was Sam. That was what he cared about. This innocent girl did not deserve this life and he did not want to be the one to cast her into it.

"Try me."

"Well aside from the vampires and angels you already know about, there's demons, werewolves, ghosts, vengeful spirits, witches. Anything from your nightmares probably exists." He was expecting her to laugh or grimace, but she seemed unaffected.

"Okay. So after we get the Sam situation figured out, you'll help me? If it's my job to save you guys or whatever I'm here for, maybe I should know how to save myself first." Elena made a good point.

Dean thought for a second. Whoever she was, she was a mystery to him.

"If that's what you want." Dean stared straight ahead. He felt like he was just going to tarnish something so pure by teaching her everything he knew. But she had a point. If she was going to be part of their group, she had to know. And if she wasn't scared or disbelieving at this point, he had no clue what would faze her.

"It is." Elena told him.

Dean glanced in his rearview mirror back at Sam. He hoped that whatever Elena was here for, it was to help him. He wanted Sam back as normal.

She looked out the window and let sleep take her. Thoughts of her past life slowly slipped away from her as she geared up for what was to come.

OoOoOo

Dean and Sam took turns driving for the two-day trip. Elena slept a lot and explained to her friends and family via text why she had to leave. The drive was pretty quiet, even though it felt like there was so much to say

"Elena, wake up. We're here." Dean whispered as he gently shook her awake. Her eyes fluttered open. In a sleepy haze she smiled up at Dean as he helped her out of the car.

Her muscles felt tense as she stretched out. She could not believe she slept so late. Sam had grabbed her bags and was already headed inside the compound. Darkness had fallen, but Elena had no idea what time it was.

She followed Dean inside. Her eyes searched the bunker, fixated on what she was seeing. It was exactly how she had seen it in her visions, but to see it in real life was something completely different.

Kevin was sitting, but stood as soon as everyone came in. "Any word from Cas?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too eager. He was hoping Cas would show soon.

"Nothing," he turned towards Elena, "I'm Kevin."

"Elena." Elena's stomach grumbled loudly as she introduced herself.

Dean sighed, "We'll eat after I check on Crowley."

Dean walked out of the main room and Elena followed. Dean looked over his shoulder. He had not expected her to come with him, "Elena stay back here."

"Why?" She asked, "I know who Crowley is and what you guys are doing to him. You know that, right?"

Sam looked at his brother and shrugged.

"Listen, I just don't think we need to bring in a girl who looks like you so Crowley can insult you and try and get a rise out of you. He hasn't had an audience in days so I'm sure he'll be at his best." Dean explained.

Elena blushed, "What do I look like?"

Sam pursed his lips and cleared his throat, "Okay, Dean let's go."

OoOoOo

Elena watched Kevin as he meticulously went over the angel tablets. She knew all about Kevin, well she knew what Dean knew about Kevin. She felt bad for him, but she could see he was doing his best.

"So anything about me in there?" Elena asked jokingly.

Kevin looked at her and grinned, "There could be. Castiel called you their savior. Hopefully he'll be able to fill us in a bit more when he gets here."

"When will that be?" Elena asked.

Kevin shrugged, "Things are pretty out of whack right now. Perfect time to be joining the team."

Just then, Dean and Sam walked in, smug looks on their faces. "He's close. By tomorrow I'm guessing we'll know where to go next." Sam explained

"Who wants to get some food?" Dean asked, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Yes." Kevin blurted.

"I think I'm just going to stay. I'm really tired." Elena lied. Sam could tell she was lying, as could Dean. She had slept the majority of the ride here, but it was understandable. Dean nodded, "Your room is down that hallway, second door to the left. The bathroom is right across the hall. If you need anything or something happens, call me right away." Dean proceeded to give Elena his number. Her mouth tensed when she looked at her phone, but she added his number nonetheless.

"Alright. I'll see you both tomorrow." Elena murmured and went to her room. They all left. Dean did not feel quite right about leaving, but he did anyway.

OoOoOo

Elena's bedroom was bare, stone floors and walls surrounding her. She put her bags down and sat on the edge of the bed.

She pulled her phone out, not surprised to see all the texts and missed calls. A barrage of voicemails also awaited her. Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy all wondering where she was and when would she be back? Calls from Jenna and Stefan made her heart hurt.

Her hands shook as she called Stefan. He picked up on the first ring.

"Elena where are you? Jenna said you were with two men she had never seen before and then you just left." Stefan sounded more worried than agitated.

Elena sighed, "Stefan, calm down. I am all right. Something came up and I didn't really have a choice. Just know that I am safe, okay?" Elena suddenly felt exhausted.

"I'm coming to get you. Tell me where you are." Stefan persisted.

"I can't do that. I'll be home as soon as I can, but I don't want you to look for me. And I don't want you to wait for me either." She struggled to finish her sentence.

"What are you saying?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan, I trust you. And you can trust me. And maybe if things were different we could have been something. But, with how things are now, where I am now, anything between us just seems impossible at the moment." Elena attempted to break the news to him as easily as she could. It was all true. She did care about Stefan and maybe in another life, things may have worked out. But she felt herself changing and along with that, her feelings were too.

"Elena, if you just-."

"Please try to understand." And with that, she hung up.

With a heavy heart, Elena lay down and closed her eyes. Elena sent out a group text explaining that she would keep in touch and she was safe, but that only came with everyone asking more questions. Frustrated, Elena slammed the phone on the nightstand. She wished she were stronger, but the tears came anyway.

OoOoOo

Dean realized how exhausted he was the second he was out of sight. He had been strong the last two days. He had no choice. But now, he was just plain tired. As he walked past Elena's room he could not mistake what he heard.

Soft sobs came from behind the wooden door. Dean paused. He knew what she was going through. He felt badly for her. But what could he do? He felt like he was in part to blame for what was happening to her.

He continued towards his bedroom.

**A/N There's chapter 1! Like I said this story focuses on Supernatural and it's world, I just stole Elena ;) In later chapters some direct dialogue will be used from the show, but mostly mine! Thanks again!**

**Please review and let me know what thought :)**


	2. Just A Little Taste

Dean looked up as Elena walked into the library of the bunker. He was on the phone with a fellow hunter, Irv, filling in the details from the night that the angels fell. Her hair was down and she was casually dressed in jeans and a navy sweater. She didn't look like she had been crying the night before. Elena noticed Dean's scrutiny and gave him a reassuring nod.

Elena sat beside Sam who was looking through an old text. Kevin was also reading something. Dean closed his phone and looked at Elena. She was so young and something about her just screamed innocence. Hell, she was only seventeen. He hated that she was being introduced to their lifestyle.

"Anything new?" Elena asked.

Sam shrugged, "We're just waiting. Something will come up sooner or later."

"Alright. So this is what you guys do, just wait for something to pop up?" Elena tapped her fingers on the table. She didn't feel like she was accomplishing anything just sitting there.

Kevin smirked, "Pretty much."

Elena looked him. She related to Kevin for a lot of reasons, but at least he knew his part in all of this, "So tell me what you guys do for fun?" She knew the concept was foreign to them.

They all looked at each other and shared a laugh. Elena raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I say we go see a movie or go dancing or play pool somewhere. After we got some work done." She smiled.

Kevin glanced up, "The second you want to go dancing, just let me know."

Dean studied her for a second, "This lifestyle is dangerous. You aren't ready for any of this." She understood his position on the matter, but was taken aback by how adamant he was.

There was an awkward silence, and then Elena said to Dean. "I believe you said you were going to show me the ropes." Elena was completely serious and ready to learn. After ending things with Stefan last night, and hopefully placating her friends and family, she was ready for the next chapter of her life.

"Teach her what?" Sam asked.

"She wants to learn to hunt." Dean said coolly.

Sam seemed surprised, "Really?"

Dean nodded.

"If I am your guys' savior, then I should I be able to hold my own. I believe I have a lot to learn, so let's get to it. It's not like we are doing anything else." She motioned for Dean to get her started.

Sam seemed hesitant, "Elena, are you sure this what you want?"

She let out a sigh, "Look, I'm not asking to learn how to do everything in one day. Just the basics."

Dean shrugged. Even though he disagreed with her, he was not going to argue with her, "Alright then. We got to take care of a few things," he said gesturing to Elena.

"Okay. What's first?" Elena was perhaps too giddy, while both Winchesters were weary.

"A tattoo." Dean smiled, hoping this would shake her.

"A tattoo? Is that necessary?" Elena asked. She should have known it was coming. She knew everyone had one to avoid demonic possession. It was just something she never thought she would have to get done herself. Tattoos were never something she had been interested in.

Both brothers nodded.

"Why? Do you guys have one?"

The brothers pulled the collars of their shirt down, showing their tattoos. Elena stared a bit longer than she should have.

"Unless you want to be possessed by a demon…"Sam grinned.

"There's a place down the road we can get 'em done quick."

Elena forced a smile, "Well let's get going."

OoOoOo

"Alright. Who wants to start?" The tattoo artist was a man in his late fifties who looked too much like Santa Clause.

"It's just me today." Elena stepped forward.

She began to pull her shirt off since she was getting the tattoo on her shoulder. Dean could not help but stare at the tan skin that began to peek out from beneath the sweater. He reminded himself that she was still too young and he was far too damaged to have anything to do with her. Elena saw the flash of lust in Dean's eyes.

She lay forward, and the tattoo artist began to tattoo the symbol on her right shoulder. Dean watched her facial expressions as she managed the pain. She barely flinched. Sam watched Dean and Elena. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something between the two. It was hard to explain, but the vibes between them was different.

When it was all finished, Elena pulled her hair around her neck. "How is it?" She asked Dean.

"It looks good." He smiled slightly.

Elena looked in the mirror. The area was a bit red still, but overall it matched Sam and Dean's perfectly.

"I think so too," She turned towards Sam, "What's next?"

OoOoO

Well you're a natural shot." Dean said as Elena shot square in the chest of the target. Elena's legs had stopped shaking after she shot the first bullet. Once she found herself loosening up, the rest was simple. Focus. Breathe. Aim. Shoot.

"That's something I guess." Elena put the gun down.

Dean shrugged, "Do you think you could use it if it came down to that?"

"If I had to. If it was the only way to save someone or protect them." While she was saying 'them', she meant more so Sam and Dean.

Dean knew it was a matter of time before Elena would have her first kill. It was inevitable now. She had made her decision. He just did not think she was ready for the aftermath. Killing took its toll and no one knew that better than Dean.

"Okay Dean, I think I understand." Elena set the pistol down.

Dean had to admit their day had been productive. After the tattoos, he taught Elena the basics of hand-to-hand combat, using the demon killing knife, and now the gun. Aside from more practice there was not much more he could do.

"Well you know how the basics at the very least." Dean poured himself a small glass of whiskey. Elena watched him, and while she disapproved, she remained quiet. Once they knew each other better, she would be more apt to speak up. While she knew him, Dean didn't know much about her.

"Thanks for teaching me." Elena smiled at him.

"It was no problem." Dean had actually liked spending time with her, which was completely abnormal for him. Even though he hated introducing anyone into the life, Elena had made it pretty easy.

"I know you don't really support it, but it's for the best. I hope you know that much." Elena took a step closer to him.

Just then, Sam walked in, "C'mon guys. We're leaving."

"What's going on?" Elena asked.

"A bus full of bodies. We think it's demons and we've got a few hours to drive before we get there." Sam gave them a tight-lipped smile before leaving the room.

Dean and Elena shared a look.

"Are you ready?" He asked her, knowing full well what she'd say.

"Let's go."

OoOoOo

After almost getting caught by an actual sergeant, Elena stood at the crime scene. She had never seen a dead body before, let alone multiple bodies. She looked the part, but she certainly didn't feel it. Elena watched as the brothers inspected the bodies.

"Anything?" Dean asked.

"All these bodies have a different wound and they're all old." Sam muttered.

"So we're looking at a bunch of meat suits?" Dean was getting frustrated

Elena turned and saw the sergeant walking towards them. She opened the bus doors and allowed the woman to walk up. She held a touchscreen tablet in her hands.

"Thought you might want to see this." She announced as she pressed play on the video.

Elena was shocked by what she saw.

OoOoOoO

Abaddon was supposed to be dead, but she appeared to be very much alive. The sun had set as the trio began their trip back towards the bunker. Sam and Dean were at a loss, but had a newfound purpose.

Sam let out a sigh and looked back at Elena, "You know you are taking this all very well." Sam laughed.

Elena nodded, "Yeah I guess I am."

"You know about any of this stuff before you met us?" Sam asked.

"Vampires and witches…that was it." Elena told him.

"Witches too? I hate witches." Dean muttered under his breath. This girl was something else. But Sam was learning not to be surprised by Elena anymore.

"They're not all bad Dean. You know that better than anyone." Elena said.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know that?" Dean asked somewhat defensively. Elena realized her slip up.

She thought quickly and then said, "Well I've only been around supernatural creatures for a few weeks and I've seen it. You've been hunting for how long? I'm sure you noticed too."

"She has a point." Sam was starting to like Elena more and more.

"Shut up." Dean muttered and turned up the radio.

Elena crossed her arms, feeling somewhat satisfied. Just then Sam's phone rang.

"Whoa, calm down Kevin." Sam urged and the put the phone on speaker.

"She gave me these coordinates. 44.054345 by 124.53223, and two names. Irv Franklin and Tracy Bell." Kevin's voice was shaky with fear and adrenaline.

"Irv's a friend. I don't know Tracy." Dean responded. Elena sat up so she was between Sam and Dean.

"Alright, the lady said they were hunters and that if you didn't go save them, that she would kill them." Kevin was mildly frantic. He was used to the behind the scenes work.

"Yeah I've heard that before." Dean muttered.

"Who was she?" Kevin asked again

"She's the bad guy. Alright, new job, dig up everything you can on Knights of Hell. Find a way to kill one. Permanently." Dean commands. Elena watches him as he directs Kevin.

"Thanks Kevin." Elena says into the phone. Sam and Dean look back at her.

"No problem. See you guys soon." Kevin says and hangs up.

"Well the numbers point to Eugene Oregon." Sam says.

"This is a trap." Elena states the obvious.

"Well let's get to it." Dean says unenthusiastically.

"What about me?" Elena asks, not sure if she should even be there in this moment.

Dean clenched his jaw. It was too late to turn around, but he knew Elena was not prepared to face Abaddon. Hell, none of them were. But Elena was there and she wasn't going anywhere.

"Stay close." Dean replied.

OoOoO

Elena followed behind the brothers closely. The coordinates led them to a ghost town that was apparently contaminated by a chemical plant leak. Dean and Sam couldn't explain it, but they both felt a sense of calm emanating from them. Elena was just focusing on her breathing and finding the hunters.

They walked into a diner where the two hunters were tied to chairs. Dean ran forward and removed the gag from Irv's mouth. "Irv? Hey. Where's Abaddon?" He shook the hunter.

Irv looked at the Winchesters and Elena, then responded, "Abaddon's been torturing hunters. She's trying to get intel on you boys."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Now are you guys here to rescue us or what?"

Dean and Sam take flasks containing holy water out of their back pockets and make Irv, and the other hunter, Tracy drink from them. Elena is relieved when there is no reaction from them.

"Happy?" Tracy snaps.

Elena helps untie Irv and Tracy while Irv explains who Tracy is. Elena is too focused on the task at hand to really listen. She's hyper aware of where Sam and Dean are and that is her main focus. She has the demon blade in her hand, just in case. She's praying that she wouldn't have to use it.

"All right let's gear up." Dean began to check all of their supplies. He knew that Abaddon was coming, he just didn't know when. He glanced over at Elena who was standing next to Sam. They were looking out the window, watching.

"They're coming." Elena announced as soon as she saw them. The demons were dressed in heavy armor and had assault rifles. It wasn't really looking good for them.

"Bring it on." Dean mumbled.

"They have assault rifles." Sam announced.

Dean cocked his head up, "Alright. Not good."

"What do we do?" Irv asked.

OoOoO

They had set up a recording to distract the demons and thankfully it had worked. "Alright we need to split up." Sam told the group.

Elena knew she would be safe with either Sam or Dean. "Girls with me. Let's go." Dean said, leaving no room for argument. Elena and Tracy followed. Elena couldn't explain it, but she felt such a pull to be next to Dean. She felt something coming, but she couldn't stop it.

And then, she appeared. Abaddon stood before them and immediately threw Dean to the floor. Tracy raised her gun and shot Abaddon in the chest. Elena watched as Abaddon barely even flinched.

Abaddon chuckled and revealed that she was wearing a bulletproof fest. Without any more hesitation, Elena unscrewed the top of the flask of holywater and threw it on the demon. She staggered as the smoke rose from her body. Dean crawled over to Tracy and handed her his keys.

"You two, go get more bullets, holy water. Everything. Go." Dean yelled. Tracy listened, but Elena couldn't leave.

"Oh my, what a day. This is like a two for one special." Abaddon grinned at Dean and Elena.

"Elena leave." Dean knew that there wasn't going to be much talking in the next few minutes and he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Oh Dean let her stay. Truly, you are no fun," Abaddon focused on Elena, "They found you, huh? The doppelganger. How exciting."

Elena glared at Abaddon. She had never heard the word doppelganger before, but she would remember it. If they made it out of this, she was going to research as much as she could on the subject.

"You're very quiet. Do I intimidate you?" Abaddon couldn't stop smiling at Elena. Her bright red lipstick perfectly outlined her teeth.

Dean took Elena's hand, breaking her eye contact with Abaddon. "Run. Go to Sam and Irv, now." Dean stared at her so intently and spoke with such ferocity she knew she had to listen.

Elena took off in the opposite direction.

"How cute. Dean found a little pet. At least we're finally alone at last." Abaddon responded.

Elena's head was spinning and her heart was racing. She didn't know where Sam and Irv were, but she did know that she had left Dean alone with Abaddon. Her stomach knotted. Would he survive an attack from her? Elena heard movement in the diner they had previously been in.

She clutched the demon blade as if it was her saving grace. She walked inside to see Sam fighting three demons alone. Irv's body was across the room

Elena didn't know what else to do, but something ignited within her. Sam was thrown across the room as she charged one of the demons. He turned and grabbed her by the throat. Elena tried to knee him, but it was to no avail. She felt his fist connect with her face. She felt the warmth of the blood begin to pour. She struggled to get a decent grip on the blade, but when she did she jammed I into his stomach. She watched as the body became limp.

"Shield your eyes." She heard Sam yell. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with her arm. But the intense white light still seemed to seep into her line of vision.

When the brightness stopped Elena uncovered her eyes. Sam cam towards her and took the blade from her hands. He stabbed the remaining demons. Elena was trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just stabbed someone, demon or not. She had taken life. And her body was throbbing from the pain she was in.

Dean came running into the diner. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Elena. She could imagine what she looked like. She brought her hand up to her face and hissed in pain. Dean came over and pulled her hand down, "You okay?" he asked softly. It was the most gentle he had been with her. Elena weakly nodded.

"Aside from the fact that I just got my ass handed to me." The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Elena tilted her head to the side and spit. Dean watched closely, making sure she was okay. Her face was already beginning to swell.

"The hell did you do?" Dean asked more harshly to Ezekiel.

"I was protecting Sam and Elena. Is that not what you wanted?" Ezekiel watched Elena and Dean curiously.

"No, it is, it is. I'm just getting used to this whole thing," Dean paused, "Sam is okay?" Dean was a mess internally.

"He was knocked unconscious. He will not remember this." Ezekiel informed them.

"What am I supposed to say when he comes to?" Dean tried to keep his voice lowered.

"That's why I used the knife." Ezekiel handed the knife back to Dean.

"You are troubled still." The angel noted.

Elena was beginning to sway lightly on her feet. She wanted to say something but her body wouldn't let her quite yet.

"Yeah, it's just that uh, this is on me. I was the one who talked Sam out of boarding up Hell. So ever demon deal, every kill, every person they hurt," Dean paused and looked at Elena, "Well you're looking at the person who let it happen."

With hooded eyes Elena looked up at the elder Winchester. He gave her a sad smile.

"You were protecting your brother. I am in Sam's head and everything he knows, I know. I know what you did was done out of love." Ezekiel explained.

"Yeah uh look, I'm not really with the whole uh, love and…love." Dean struggled with what he was trying to say.

"But it is why I said yes." Ezekiel countered.

"Yeah but if this goes sideways, that's on me too. I'm trusting you. And I hope you are one of the good guys." Dean was the most honest he had been with the angel.

"I am, but I suppose that is what a bad guy would say. Dean Winchester, you are doing the right thing." And with that Ezekiel retreated back into Sam's body and laid on the ground. The real Sam emerged.

He looked around, confused. Even more so when he saw that Dean was holding Elena's hand. Elena who was bloody and beaten.

"What the hell happened?" Sam rushed towards them. He couldn't remember.

"The demons were attacking you. You took a shot to the head. We saved your ass." Dean chuckled, making light of the situation.

"You killed three demons. Elena, you killed a demon?" He looked at her in a new light. She had gotten hurt to protect him.

Elena nodded and smiled slightly, "Yeah I did. Can't you tell?"

"Let's get out of here." Dean was more eager to leave and patch everyone up. He slipped his hand out of Elena's. Both of them acted like they didn't notice the absence of one another.

OoOoO

Elena definitely had the worst of the injuries. Sam sat her on the back of the Impala and began to patch her up. They were about fifteen miles away from the ghost town.

Elena felt like a truck hit her. She needed a few stitches above her eyebrow. Both brothers had to admit she handled it remarkably well. Sam poured some alcohol on a washcloth and held it against the wound. Dean couldn't help but tense every time she flinched. He had seen her in pain on too many occasions already.

"Ouch." Elena gasped.

"Okay, this looks good. You think you can make it back to the bunker?" Sam asked, while looking at his handiwork

"Thanks Sam. And yeah, we should get going." Elena responded.

"We can stop at a motel Elena. Just for the night."

"No, let's leave." Elena wanted to be back at the bunker. It was the closest thing that the brothers could call home and it was where she would feel most comfortable.

Dean had cut the drive down to about an hour and forty-five minutes. He just wanted to get her back. The second they stepped into their bunker, Elena had left them to go shower.

"Where do I even start?" Dean asked.

Sam looked around the bunker noticing Kevin was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Kevin?"

OoOoO

Elena watched the blood circle down the drain as she showered. It was as if her mind had not fully caught up to her body. She killed something. Just two weeks ago she was practicing with the squad and now she was stabbing demons. When she thought of the circumstances she knew she would do it again. And Abaddon had called her a doppelganger. She only knew that meant that there was a double of the person. Did it mean something more?

She turned off the faucet and wrapped a towel around her body. She looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection showing some unknown woman. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Dean walked in before she could let him in.

He looked at her, his jaw clenched. Without a word he pulled her in towards him and held her. Elena rested her head against his chest, not letting her astonishment stop her. "I'm okay." She whispered against him.

"Don't lie to me." Dean looked down at her.

His eyes searched her face, looking for any sort of telling emotion.

"I would do it again." Elena felt very protective suddenly.

"I know you would."

Something unspoken was happening right before them. Dean moved his hand to cup Elena's face. She looked into his green eyes, and felt at ease. Elena let her hand cover his, his skin rough compared to hers.

"Kevin almost left." Dean whispered.

Elena pulled back, "Just now?"

Dean nodded.

"Why?"

"Crowley told him his mom is still alive. He wants to find her now." Dean took a step back from Elena and sat down on counter. Elena sat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Do you think she is?" She asked.

"Hell, I don't know. He's a demon. He lies." Dean didn't know which to believe. He wanted all this to be done, but he just didn't see an endgame.

Elena let out a breath, "Abaddon called me a doppelganger. Was she lying?"

Dean looked at Elena, "I don't know enough about that. But, I'll find out."

A knock on the door caused them both to jump. "I'll be out in a second!" Elena called to whoever was knocking.

Dean stood and turned towards the door, "I'm glad you're okay." And then he left.

Elena closed her eyes and turned back to the mirror.

What the hell was happening?

OoOoOo

Sam and Dean sat at the long table in the bunker. Both had glasses of whiskey before them. Sam was lost in thought about the interactions with the other hunters and his being knocked unconscious. Dean felt like he was fighting just to keep his sanity. Kevin, Crowley, Sam, Abaddon, Elena; the thoughts consumed him. He knew it was going to be another sleepless night.

Elena walked into the room. She wore a Mystic Falls t-shirt and sleep shorts, her hair was still damp. Even though she was hurt, Dean thought she still looked pretty damn good.

"Just wanted to say goodnight. And thanks for being there for me today." Elena gave them both a smile and headed back to her room before either of them could respond.

"You look at her differently." Sam finally broached the subject he had shied away from. He was not used to seeing Dean being so gentle, especially not recently. Since his stint in purgatory, Dean was even further down the path of a hunter. He had no hope for a life after this. Sam was beginning to see something else though. He had seen Dean holding Elena's hand and he knew that he went to check on her in the bathroom.

Dean took a sip of his drink, "Sorry to disappoint you Sammy, but you're off for a lot of reasons. She is still just a kid."

"Oh come on."

"Nope." Dean tried to explain away what Sam was thinking.

"She kicked ass on this hunt." Sam made the obvious clear.

Dean continued to drink and ignore Sam. He had to admit that Elena was growing on him. And it seemed everyone she met was drawn to her as well. He knew she was the first good, pure thing to happen to him in a long time.

"She isn't one of us." Dean murmured.

"Maybe she is." Sam retorted.

Maybe he was right.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Next chapter will focus more on Elena and her role in all of this. And a character I've been waiting to bring in finally makes their appearance. Thanks for the favorites/follows! **** Review and let me know what you thought!**


	3. Pushing the Boundaries

"You look rough." Kevin muttered as Elena walked into the room. She playfully shoved his shoulder in retaliation. Kevin had focused more on his work and less on what had occurred with Crowley a few days earlier. In truth, he liked having Elena around. She brought a certain dynamic to the group that was missing before.

Elena knew she was still in bad shape. Her face was swollen still and the bruising made it look worse. But she had taken some pain pills that were in the bathroom and she was moving on. She wasn't in a rush to go head to head with another demon any time soon.

Her phone lit up, another text from Jeremy. She clicked the screen off and set it aside. Kevin noticed and said, "Family still?"

Elena shrugged, "It's only been a few days. They think I'm rebelling."

"If they only knew." Kevin shook his head.

Elena smiled at Kevin. He was only a few years older than her, but he understood exactly what she was going through. "Where are Sam and Dean?" Elena asked, realizing she hadn't seen them.

"Packing up. They're going to find Castiel." Kevin spoke nonchalantly.

Elena frowned. No one had said anything to her about leaving. She had assumed that she was going to stick with the brothers from now on. Elena stood up and went towards Dean's room.

"Yeah?" Dean replied to the knock on his door.

Elena walked in. It was the first time she had actually been inside his room and it was very much Dean. There was a typewriter in the corner of the room. The wall behind Dean's bed was decorated with a variety of weapons. Elena noticed a picture of Dean and his mom.

"You're leaving?" Elena asked. She tried not to sound defensive. Dean rubbed the back of his neck and let out a breath.

"Earlier, Sam and I were talking and Ezekiel came out and said that angels are organizing. We need to find Castiel." Dean explained. He tried to not obviously inspect Elena's face, but he observed that she was healing at least.

"And I have to stay here?" Elena questioned further.

Just then Sam walked in holding some duffel bags. He smiled at Elena, "Hey, you're up. Your face looks better, might scar a little." Sam cocked his head to the side to look at where her stitches were.

"Can't wait," Elena spoke dryly, "You don't want me there?" She asked more so to Dean. Sam looked at his brother. He knew that Dean was becoming more protective over her than he would ever admit.

Dean was already in a bad mood, lack of sleep and dealing with everything. He had seen Elena bloodied and beaten up, Kevin had got a few hits in on Crowley, and Sam was a whole new case. And now he had to get Cas back.

"The last encounter with demons didn't go over so well." Dean tried to be as subtle as possible.

Sam couldn't control his smirk as Dean struggled. He had told Dean earlier that it was part of the gig, but Dean wouldn't listen. "I'm gonna go load up the car," Sam announced.

Elena focused on Dean. She could feel his turmoil. He let out a sigh, "Elena, it's not that I don't want you there. It's just that I don't think it's safe. Not with everything that's happening."

"Why? How many times do I have to tell you, I'm fine." Elena felt a pull towards him in that instant. He needed to be comforted. Elena moved near him. She sat down on the edge of his bed, while he remained standing.

"Last time you got hurt. It's too much to have to watch you and make sure you don't get hurt." He partially lied. If he had to make Elena mad just so that she would stay in the bunker, he was okay with it. He didn't think he would handle seeing her get hurt again so well.

Elena looked up at him, their eyes meeting instantly. Everything about Elena was drawing him in. "I'll stay back and help out Kevin, okay?" Elena looked up at Dean. She had been meaning to look into what a doppelganger was anyway.

"Alright." Dean was relieved.

Elena stood up and smiled at him. It made his chest hurt, how she looked at him. They had only just met, but it felt like he had known her a long time. He was sure if she knew half the things that he had done, she wouldn't be look at him like this.

"Be careful." Elena warned. Dean nodded down at her. And then Elena wrapped her arms around Dean as if she had done so a hundred times before. Dean stiffened, but allowed himself to relax. Dean brought his arm around her waist.

"Ready?" Sam asked, walking back into the room. He raised his eyebrows at what he saw. Dean glared at him.

"Yeah." Dean muttered and moved past Elena to leave.

OoOoOo

On the way out to the Impala Sam looked over at Dean, "So you convinced her to stay, huh?"

"I didn't convince her to do anything." Dean was not amused by Sam's antics.

"Dean why don't you just admit it already?" Sam was enjoying this a little bit too much.

"I'm not here to talk about feelings and butterflies. Let's get going." Dean snapped.

OoOoO

"Do you know anything about doppelgangers?" Elena asked as she sat beside Kevin. Kevin was reading over the tablets for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had to be missing something. There had to be some key as to what to do next.

"No," he laughed, because he had been doing so much research on supernatural topics it seemed crazy to him that he had missed something, "I don't."

Elena rolled her eyes. Kevin looked over at her. She was only a bit younger than him, but she seemed much older. "So, you and Dean?" Kevin had been really curious. He had never seen Dean with a woman and the way he acted with Elena was interesting enough.

"What about him?" Elena asked.

"You two are together?" Kevin pressed.

"No? Why are you asking me that?" Elena felt her face flush. She felt like a little kid being accused of having a crush.

"The way you two are. I just thought there was something there." Kevin responded.

"Just friends." Elena muttered as she leaned over a book, pretending to read.

Kevin paused, "Okay. If you want to know anything about a supernatural creature, you can just ask Sam or Dean."

Elena shook her head, "No. They're busy enough. I'll just look into it on my own."

"Ask Crowley. I'm sure he is dying to talk." Kevin laughed, making a joke out of bitterness.

But Elena thought it was a good idea. Crowley was a demon. He knew about everything. As the king of hell, there wasn't a paranormal concept that escaped him. Even with what had just happened with Kevin and Crowley, she thought he would still talk to her.

"That's perfect!" Elena smiled brightly.

"Elena, I was kidding. Crowley's dangerous." Kevin looked at her in horror.

"I'll talk to him for a few minutes and leave. It's no big deal." Elena wasn't afraid of Crowley, at least not while he was contained. She was sure there was a part of him was feeling more human than ever.

"Sam and Dean wouldn't like it."

"Well they don't have to know." Elena countered, even though she knew it was true.

Kevin was exasperated, but held his hands up in surrender.

Elena nodded and made her way to where they were holding Crowley.

OoOoO

"He's going by Clarence." Dean muttered as he got into his car.

Sam chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Dean asked.

"Well that's what Meg used to call him. He doesn't know Clarence is an angel from It's a Wonderful Life." Sam explained.

Dean was dumbfounded. He had no idea what Sam was talking about.

"The movie? Really Dean?" Sam shook his head. Sometimes it escaped him how different Dean was from him. For all their similarities, their differences were extreme.

Dean rolled his eyes, "What else ya got?"

"Another angel has been killed. Outside of Lafayette, a small town about a days drives from here." Sam explained. The angels weren't just being killed, they were being tortured.

Dean knew that getting Cas back wasn't going to be a quick event, but he wished it were. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he wanted to get back to the bunker. He knew he'd have to check in with Elena eventually.

Dean hit the gas.

OoOoO

Crowley looked up and grinned when he saw Elena walk in. He knew who she was before she said a word. "Crowley." Elena crossed her arms across her chest. She had seen through Dean's memories the sort of thing he was capable of, but she was not worried in this situation.

"This is an interesting turn of events. Looks like someone got a hold on you. Dean or Sam?" Crowley bit out.

She clenched her jaw, "Demons actually. I'm Elena." She introduced herself.

"I assumed." He knew she was not her identical other.

"I want to talk about doppelgangers." Elena said, ignoring his comments.

Crowley laughed, "That's just rich. Why, may I ask, is the subject of interest to you?" He could see that the girl had no idea who she was.

"Because, apparently I am someone's doppelganger. And by the way you've acted since I came in here, you know that already." Elena felt empowered before Crowley. Of course he was bound to a chair and incapacitated.

"I do. You're a smart girl."

"Just tell me what I want to know." Elena sighed.

"What do I get in return?" Crowley asked.

"What do you want?"

"Let me go." He asked simply.

Elena laughed outright, "That's never going to happen and you know it."

"All right. I had to try. Then I want you to tell me who you are, why you're here, how you got here." Crowley offered instead. He wanted to know what she did. Even if he felt like he was a few steps ahead of her, it was useful to know what the others did.

Elena thought about it. What harm was there in telling him? She would of course leave out some of the details. "Okay. What do you know?" Elena asked.

"Does the name Katherine Pierce mean anything to you?" Crowley asked.

Elena let the name sit in her mind, "No. Who is she?"

"Your doppelganger. You are identical in looks. A doppelganger is almost like having an identical twin." Crowley explained.

"How do you know this?"

"Why Elena, she's a vampire. I think I know about the creatures of hell." Crowley told her.

Elena was taken aback. She hadn't been expecting that. "Why is she so significant?"

"Who said she was?" Crowley smiled.

Elena was now more curious. "What else?"

"I believe I told you what you wanted to know and perhaps a little bit more than that." Crowley was feeling more like himself.

Elena raised her eyebrow and turned to leave, "Not really Crowley."

"I believe we had a deal."

Elena smiled sweetly at him, "Sorry Crowley. Maybe another time."

Elena walked out of the compound. Kevin was standing there, waiting for her. He was tense, but relaxed once Elena walked out.

"Did you get what you wanted?" Kevin asked.

Elena shrugged, "I know more than I did. But I still don't know enough. When you found out that you were a prophet, didn't you have questions?"

Kevin and Elena began to walk back into the main room of the bunker. Kevin nodded, "Of course I did. And they're still not all answered."

"Great." Elena muttered.

They went back to work, letting time pass.

OoOoO

It had been three days and Elena was out of her mind with worry and irritation. She didn't want to call Dean because she didn't want to bother him, especially if things with Castiel were happening. She knew they were busy with the task at hand, but she couldn't stop feeling like she had to talk to Dean.

Elena was still in sweatpants and a black tank top, not really caring anymore. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she had no makeup on. Her and Kevin had spent the last three days mainly reading about their perspective missions. She had contemplated calling Stefan to ask about Katherine, assuming that all vampires must know each other, but she couldn't bring herself to. Not yet.

"So they usually don't call, right?" Elena asked, trying to be nonchalant.

Kevin shrugged, "Not unless they are in trouble or need something."

"So this is good?" Elena asked.

Kevin grinned, "Would you stop worrying about him."

Elena flushed, "I'm not worried about him. I just want Castiel to be okay." Which was not a total lie.

Elena's phone rang and her heart jumped. She saw "Dean Winchester" light up her phone screen.

"Hello?" She knew she sounded too excited.

"Elena, hey. We're heading back; we should be there in a few hours. Cas is with us." Dean told her. Dean had attempted not to call, he wasn't used to that feeling like he had to. But in the end he succumbed to his desire to.

"Is Cas okay?" Elena asked.

Dean replied, "Yeah, he's good," he paused, "How was the bunker?"

Kevin watched Elena talk to Dean, closely observing. "I talked to Crowley the day you guys left." She admitted. She knew he wasn't going to like it and she would rather tell him when he wasn't there to physically yell at her. Kevin stared at her wide eyed and threw his hands up. Elena rolled her eyes at him.

There was a long silence and Elena smiled uncomfortably. "Why did you do that? Kevin just let you walk in there?" Dean was incredulous.

"He didn't really have much of a choice." Elena responded. She didn't want Kevin to be on bad terms with Dean or Sam.

"Why were you in there?" Dean asked, trying not to take his irritation out on Elena.

"I wanted to know a few things. Crowley told me about my doppelganger." Elena told Dean.

Dean was disbelieving, "Why would he do that? How does he even know?"

"She's a vampire, so a creature of hell. Crowley would know." Elena told him.

"Oh that's just great. What else did he say?" Dean was back to his sarcasm.

"That was about it."

"And he just told you what you wanted to know? No questions asked?"

"Well, he wanted to know why I was here. But I didn't tell him." Elena felt a little proud of that fact. She had left Crowley curious and aggravated. Maybe that would get him to open up a bit more?

Dean let out a breath.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, showing his concern.

Elena responded, "Yes. He just told me what I wanted to know."

"Okay, well we'll be there soon."

"Alright. See you soon."

OoOoO

The trio walked into the bunker and finally relaxed. Dean was happy to be back, especially with Castiel in tow. The once angel was looking around in awe at the bunker. Sam set the bags of fast food on the table.

Kevin and Elena walked in as if on cue. It was bizarre seeing him standing before her, in the flesh. In Dean's mind she saw him, but this was something different. Dean glanced at Elena, looking her over to make sure she was okay. In the few days he had been gone she had really healed up. Elena caught Dean looking at her.

"Uh Elena, Cas. Cas, Elena." Dean introduced them.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you." Castiel extended his hand. Perhaps it was so strange because he was human now. There was something different about him without his grace.

"Nice to meet you, too." Elena smiled.

Kevin grabbed some of the food off the table, "Man, I'm starving."

"Want the grand tour?" Elena asked Castiel sweetly. She really just wanted to get him alone since she had so many questions that she believed only he could answer.

"I would like that very much." Castiel followed Elena. She quickly showed him where the bathroom was, the library, and then towards the bedrooms. She led him into her room, which was slowly starting to resemble the room of a person. She had unpacked her clothes, a few books and pictures as well.

"This is your room?" Castiel asked.

Elena nodded.

She let him look around a little bit before she cut to the chase. "I was hoping you could tell me something about why I'm here. I know you received that message, but is there something you can tell me I don't already know." Elena was trying to figure it all out. In her mind, it all was so jumbled. She had only been out of Mystic Falls for a few days and she already felt like a different person.

Castiel pondered her words.

"There is some information that I am not due to tell you. When the time is right perhaps. You are the savior of the Winchesters. You will guide them, protect them, and heal them. There is a bond between you and the brothers. It will continue to grow." Castiel explained.

It was all too cryptic for Elena. The feelings and all she had seen were only adding to her confusion. "When they came to Mystic Falls, Dean grabbed me and, I saw his entire life. Everything. I touched Sam. There was absolutely nothing." Elena knew Castiel would keep this between them.

"But Sam seems to be doing very well."

"Because of Ezekiel." Elena countered.

Castiel shook his head and stared pointedly at her.

Elena was a bit taken back. She hadn't done anything but touch him. She hadn't even focused on him really. "I'm helping him?" She asked in awe.

Castiel nodded, "It would appear to be that you are helping the both of them."

"How?"

"It is what you are."

"I'm just a girl." Elena spoke defensively.

Castiel shook his head.

"Then what?"

Elena felt like she was on the brink of getting more information. "What do you think?" Dean asked, suddenly coming into Elena's room.

Castiel turned and nodded, "I think I will enjoy my time here very much."

Elena could feel that Dean was uncomfortable, that he was about to do something that was going to change a lot. "We need to talk." He looked at Castiel.

"Of course Dean. You know I appreciate our talks, our time together."

"Listen, buddy," Dean paused, "You can't stay here."

It was as if the air had been sucked up from the room. Elena was completely taken aback by Dean's admission. The hurt on Castiel's face was so blatant; Elena's heart ached for him.

"I do not understand." Castiel whispered.

"Dean, he's safest here." Elena stated the obvious.

Dean glanced at her, "I know that," he let out a breath, "Ezekiel thinks having you here is going to lead the angels here. And he can't risk that. And Sam isn't healed yet." Dean was at a loss.

Elena looked to Castiel. Should she say what Castiel had just told her?

Before she could say a word, Castiel stood, "I understand. Thank you Dean," he turned towards Elena, "I hope our paths will cross soon."

Elena watched as Castiel left the bunker. Dean cursed under his breath. Elena couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed in Dean. Castiel was his friend, but Sam was his brother. She wondered what he would have done if she had been the one in Castiel's position.

Dean saw the way Elena looked at him and it got under his skin. "Don't look at me like that." He spoke softly. He needed someone on his side through this.

Elena shook her head, "I'm sorry you had to make that decision."

"So am I." Dean said as he walked out the room.

OoOoO

Elena couldn't fall asleep if her life depended on it. After Castiel had left, there was just a sadness looming in the bunker. Sam went into his room, Kevin kept working, and Dean went off to a bar. Elena had stayed back. She had fallen asleep for a little bit, but too many thoughts kept her awake. Castiel was gone to who knew where and she had more questions than ever.

A glass breaking erupted Elena's thoughts. She got out of bed quickly and went to see what had happened. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was three in the morning.

Dean was cleaning up glass of the floor, his hand partially cut open. "Dean?" Elena was disbelieving. She knelt down to help him. The strong stench of whiskey hit her and she knew he was far past drunk. He looked very serious until his eyes landed on her.

"I broke it." He murmured, his words slurring.

Elena nodded, "Yes you did. Sit down, I'll clean it up." Elena tried not to watch as he stumbled into a chair.

Elena picked up the glass and tossed it in the trash. She grabbed a cheap plastic cup from the cabinet and filled it with water. "Drink this." She handed it to Dean. He was unwilling, but did it anyway.

"You want to talk about something?" Elena tried. She knew if he was drinking this much it was to cover up something.

He shook his head, "What's there to say? Cas is gone. Sam's not even Sam and you…" Dean didn't finish his sentence.

Elena moved over to him and began to help him up, "You need to get some sleep." Dean usually hated help from others, but he let her this time. She felt so small compared to him.

Once they were to his room, Elena turned the lights on and helped him sit on his bed. She watched as he sloppily began to untie his boots. She knew he was in pain and he wasn't handling it well.

"No one is mad at you about Cas. Not even Cas is mad. We're figuring this Sam thing out. And Dean, I don't think I could be upset with you if I wanted to be." Elena tried to make him feel better with the truth. Cas was hurt, not mad. And Sam was a whole other mystery. But, Elena knew that she at least was not angry at the elder Winchester.

Dean looked up at her.

"And one more thing," since Elena felt like she was on a roll, "You think you don't deserve any amount of happiness. But you do. There is something good in you. I see that and so does everyone else."

Elena gave him a soft smile and turned to leave.

"Will you stay?" He asked. For a moment it wasn't the Dean she had grown accustomed to, but an innocent, scared version of himself. Elena stared at him, the way he looked at her was enough to make her want to accommodate his every whim.

Elena let out a breath and climbed into the bed. She pulled up the covers and motioned for Dean to come beside her. Dean couldn't believe that she had actually stayed. His mind was still a bit hazy, but he knew what was happening.

Dean wasn't the type to lay in bed with women. Elena knew that. But they both needed this, the closeness, the heat of another person. Elena moved her head to rest on Dean's chest and closed her eyes. Dean's arm instinctively wrapped around her.

"Night Dean."

"Night."

**Review please! Hope you all are enjoying it!**


	4. Going Back

**Thanks to everyone reading! This chapter takes place in Mystic Falls. I had to change around some information/timeline, but I think it turned out good :) Enjoy!**

Elena and Sam were playing chess. It was a rare occasion that the brothers decided not to hunt; it was time for a break. Even if it was brief. After Castiel leaving, it just felt like it was time to put things on hold. Dean had gone out to pick up some things and Kevin had been asleep for the last few hours. Elena and Sam were the only ones still up and around the bunker.

Elena's thoughts were elsewhere as she played. She had woken up in Dean's bed, alone. She knew it was more intimate than it should have been, but she knew that Dean was also drunk so it hadn't meant anything anyways. Yet, she couldn't stop thinking about the way he held her or how he felt beside her.

"You feeling okay?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah? Why?"

"I saw you walking out of Dean's room this morning." Sam grinned at Elena's response. She looked at Sam and shrugged.

"He came in drunk last night. I put him to bed."

"And you stayed with him?" Sam chuckled.

"Shut up Sam." Elena mumbled.

"I'm just wondering what's going on between you two." Sam said as he took Elena's queen.

"That's game." Elena muttered.

Just then Dean came in carrying a few bags. He looked completely relaxed, almost happy. He smiled at both Elena and Sam. Elena didn't know what to expect when she would see Dean, but this was not it.

"I figured since we're having an easy day I'd get some food and the first season of Game of Thrones." Dean was as excited as a little kid.

Sam laughed, "Really Dean?"

Dean shrugged, "Why not? What else are we doing today?"

"I think it's a great idea." Elena announced.

Sam rolled his eyes, "Alright let's do it."

"Atta boy Sammy." Dean grinned as he walked into the other room to set up.

Elena felt her phone vibrate and saw that it was Stefan calling. She had called a few days ago while Sam and Dean had been tracking down Castiel. Elena had assumed that Stefan may know who Katherine was since he was a vampire too.

"I'll be in in a minute." Elena said as she moved to the hallway away from the brothers.

She accepted his call quickly, "Stefan, hi."

"Are you okay Elena?" He asked quickly and tersely.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…does the name Katherine Pierce mean anything to you?" Elena asked. With dealing with everything happening with Sam and Dean, her doppelganger wasn't the first thing in line to tackle. And while Crowley alluded that it wasn't important, to Elena it was.

Silence came from the other line.

"Hello?"

"Is Katherine there?" Stephan asked, his voice more serious than Elena was used to.

"No. She's not. But apparently I'm her doppelganger. Though you already knew that." Elena clenched her jaw.

"I did. Elena, don't look for her. She's dangerous. Please come back to Mystic Falls. You are protected here." Stephan pleaded.

"I'm not coming back. And I can take care of myself. Why didn't you tell me about her?" Elena asked.

"I didn't want to scare you. Or think that I was only with you because you looked like her." Stephan explained.

"Is she there?" Elena asked.

"No, of course not. But, a lot has happened since you left."

"What are you talking about?" Elena asked suddenly weary.

Stefan pauses, "Elena just come back, just for a few days. A lot is happening and you need to be here for Jeremy." Stefan tried again.

"What does Jeremy have to do with any of this?"

"I'll tell you everything you want to know about Katherine. Just come home." With that he hung up.

Elena cursed under her breath.

OoOoO

Sam took a sip of his beer as he watched Dean set up the DVD player. He had noticed that Dean was acting a little different, but that was how Dean had been since the angels fell. He noticed that Elena calmed him down.

"How you doing Dean?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged, "I'm fine."

"I saw that Elena was in your room-"

Dean raised his hand, "Sam, don't. There's nothing to say. Nothing happened."

Sam raised his hands in defense, "I'm not saying anything."

"Well good." Dean finished lamely.

Elena walked in, looking exasperated.

OoOoO

Dean could not believe he was driving to Mystic Falls. Elena had filled him and Sam on everything Crowley had said and everything Stefan had said. He could barely admit it to himself let alone out loud, but he wasn't too crazy about the fact that Elena was in touch with Stefan. Which made him feel like a child.

"So what exactly are we going to do in Mystic Falls?" Sam asked, needing further explanation.

Elena sighed, "Stefan said a lot is going on and when I texted Jeremy he seemed…off," Elena paused, "And he's going to tell me about Katherine."

"Your doppelganger?" Sam clarified.

"Your vampire doppelganger." Dean muttered. Elena and Dean's eyes met in the rearview mirror. She looked at him pleading. She just had a feeling that something was happening and she needed to be there. She didn't want to go back just as much as Sam and Dean didn't want to.

"Look, maybe nothings wrong. But at least we'll all have some more information. I can't be the only a bit curious about who I am." Elena wanted to say, "what I am" but refrained. She couldn't really place it, but she was starting to feel different.

Sam had to agree there, "Okay, but we can't spend too much time there."

"Of course not." Elena muttered.

OoOoO

"This is where they live?" Sam asked, impressed. Dean let out a low whistle. Elena felt weird being back already. She had texted Jeremy to let him know she was in town, but didn't mention it to anyone else. She didn't want a big fuss about her being back and the innumerable amount of questions there would undoubtedly be.

"The Salvatore Boarding house." Elena murmured. She didn't think she was ever going to come back here. She had to admit she was actually kind of nervous to Stefan again. Damon too.

Elena looked over at Dean. "Are you good with this?" Elena asked quietly enough so Sam couldn't hear.

Dean shrugged, "Is there a reason not to be?"

Elena bit the inside of her cheek, "We'll get lunch after this, okay? We can talk," Elena paused, "They use rings that allow them to go in the sunlight without repercussions."

Sam seemed impressed. They all walked up to the front door. Before Elena could knock, Stefan opened the door. Dean looked over the vampire. He was tall, built and no doubt incredibly strong. He was just waiting for Stefan to give him a reason to kill him.

"Elena, I'm glad you came." Stefan eyed the brothers wearily.

Elena nodded, "I don't really feel like you gave me much of a choice. This is Sam and Dean." She introduced the men.

"Winchester?" Stefan asked, relaxing slightly.

"Yes."

"That's us." Dean smiled.

"Well come on in." Stefan moved out of the doorway so the group could come in. Sam and Dean looked around the room. It was a lot nicer than a lot the other places they had found vampires staying.

"Stefan, tell me what's going on." Elena was not in the mood for any more games or polite pretense; she wanted to know why she had to be in Mystic Falls. It was hard to be back, especially when she knew she wouldn't be staying.

"Would you rather talk about Katherine first?" Stefan motioned for everyone to sit.

Elena sat beside Dean on the antique loveseat, while Sam sat across from them. Stefan rummaged through a drawer in the corner of the room and grabbed something. He handed a framed photo to Elena and sat in a chair beside her.

Elena gasped. It was Katherine, but it looked exactly like her. She was dressed in a beautiful gown, her hair up in curls, expensive jewelry adorned her neck. Dean stared at the picture momentarily stunned.

"How do you know her?" Elena asked, finally looking up at Stefan.

"She turned Damon and I into what we are." He told her.

Elena was surprised by his admission. "You never told me that." Elena whispered.

Stefan shrugged, "It was dangerous enough, you knowing what we were to begin with. Katherine…Katherine is a part of the past."

"She's dangerous?" Elena asked.

"Yes."

"Where is she now?" Elena asked out of curiosity.

"Far away from here. You'll never have to meet her." Stefan spoke confidently.

Dean watched the way the two interacted. He could see the chemistry between the two of them and honestly unnerved him. As if Elena could sense him, she turned to face him and gave him a soft smile.

"What does she have to do with Elena?" Sam asked.

Stefan looked to Sam, "Ultimately, a Petrova doppelganger is needed to break a curse."

Dean looked up, "Needed how?"

"A sacrifice," Stefan paused, "But it would never come to that."

Elena was completely taken aback. She had never heard of any curse, let alone a sacrifice. "How do you know?" Elena asked, frustrated that Stefan was so knowledgeable yet he had never shared this information with her.

"The curse is a rumor. And those it involve are not coming to Mystic Falls." Stefan stated.

Dean shook his head, "What does this curse entail exactly?"

Stefan explained, "It is a curse that was created to keep the werewolf side of a vampire dormant. It was done in order to keep that kind of power restrained."

Dean rubbed the side of his face, "And this individual would need Elena or Katherine's blood?"

"Yes." Stefan answered.

"Well this is all good news," She paused, "Anything else about this that you would like to share?"

Stefan shook his head, "That's all I know. I should have told you sooner."

"Yeah, you should have." Elena tried not to sound bitter.

"What else is going on?" Dean pressed.

Stefan cleared his throat, "Jeremy."

Elena's head snapped up, "What's wrong with Jeremy?" She was very protective over her brother. She felt the most guilt leaving him.

"He hasn't been going to school, drugs," he paused, "Vicki." Stefan told her.

Dean and Sam were surprised. Elena seemed to be very put together. Her maturity astounded them sometimes. It was strange to hear that her brother was that opposite of her.

Elena felt the stab of disappointment and she partially blamed herself. If she were here, this stuff wouldn't be happening, well at least that was what she was telling herself.

"It's how he's coping." Elena muttered. It wasn't a good reason, but it was all she could muster.

"Coping with what?" Sam asked.

Elena looked up. She bit her lip, realizing she hadn't even talked about herself at all really. They knew she was in high school and cheered, but that was it. She hadn't talked about her personal life really at all.

"Our parents died in a car accident," She hesitated and looked at Dean, "I was there, but I made it." Elena felt strange telling him.

Dean stared at her, looking at her somewhat differently. He didn't feel pity, as he hated it when people pitied him, but he knew what that loss felt like. It struck him that Elena had a whole life he knew nothing about. He had never even asked. He wanted to know more now, not just about her parents, but her.

"I'm sorry." Dean said softly. Elena tried to be indifferent, but she still nodded as a response.

"And what about Vicki?" Elena asked.

Stefan began to speak, then Damon and Vicki walked in. "Yes Stefan, what about me?" Vicki asked dryly.

Elena stood up, surprised to see her at the manor. "Stefan?" Elena turned to face him.

Damon smiled wryly, "Look at this. What a reunion."

"Why is she here?" Elena asked, suddenly angry.

"I turned her." Damon declared.

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. She was too young to be a vampire. Damon was not even trying to hide his cruelty. Elena gasped. She had not expected this.

"Why?" Elena asked Damon.

"Why not?" Damon replied, his voice on edge.

Stefan glanced at his brother, "Damon, relax. Look Elena, we have this under control. She's not drinking human blood. She isn't going to hurt anyone." Stefan tried to explain.

"Yeah, heard that before." Dean scoffed.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Damon walked over towards Dean and Sam.

Stefan responded, "They're the Winchesters. Elena's with them."

"Both of them? Or just one?" Damon grinned.

Dean eyed Damon. He was not interested in what he had to say.

"She can't be around Jeremy." Elena ignored Damon's remark. She only cared about Jeremy's safety in this moment. She needed her brother to be back on track, but he wasn't at the moment and vampire Vicki wasn't going to help.

Vicki laughed, "Oh please, you aren't in control here."

"You can't see him anymore. You could hurt him." Elena snapped. She moved closer to Vicki, making her point that she was the dominant one between the two.

"I would never hurt Jeremy." She replied.

"I'm not taking that chance." Elena spoke with a newfound determination.

Vicki lunged forward, her hands locking around Elena's throat. Dean was up before he even had time to process it. Stefan and Damon pulled Vicki away almost instantly. Dean pulled Elena closer to him.

"Yeah, you're in total control." Elena turned towards Stefan, "She's going to hurt someone."

"As far as I'm concerned you're all vampires. And only one of you is apparently not feeding off humans." Dean bit out. He mostly wanted to kill Vicki for attempting to hurt Elena.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Please. You're not going to hurt us, not while Elena's here."

"I'm not going to let anybody get hurt." Stefan tried.

Elena shook her head, "We're leaving."

"Elena…" Stefan tried.

"I'm going to talk to Jeremy. I'll call you later." She wasn't going to leave Mystic Falls just yet. She couldn't. Nothing had even been resolved. In fact, things were worse. She never imagined that Damon would turn anyone, least of all Vicki into a vampire.

Dean, Sam, and Elena walked out of the manor. Each one more irritated than when they went in. Sam took a look at Elena's neck, just to be safe. There were fading marks, but that was all.

"You guys should go get lunch or something. I have to go see Jeremy and make sure he's okay." Elena felt scattered. It was as if she had stepped into another world where she had her personal problems to focus on. With Sam and Dean, it was straightforward. She focused on them.

"We'll drive you over." Sam offered, feeling bad for Elena.

"I'm just going to walk," Elena looked at the brothers, "Do you guys remember where my house was?"

"Yeah, I do." Dean told her.

"Just come there after, okay?" Elena smiled, relieved that she was able to have some space to think about what she was going to say to Jeremy. She wasn't going to leave Mystic Falls until she knew he was really okay.

OoOoO

"Well that didn't go at all how I expected it to." Sam said as he took a sip of his coffee.

Dean took a bite of his bacon burger as he looked around the grill. This was a spot Elena had spent a lot of time. Hell, some of the people here probably knew her pretty well. But, she wasn't a part of this town anymore.

"Dean." Sam waved his hand, catching his attention.

Dean shook his head, "Yeah. I thought letting the vampires live was a great plan."

"Well Damon was right. We aren't going to do anything, especially with Elena here." Sam countered.

"I'm more worried about Vicki. She's new, dangerous. And Damon isn't exactly the best mentor." Dean was in truth worried about Elena. She never really faltered in front of them. Any time they were apart, Dean experienced mild anxiety even though he didn't want to.

Sam nodded, "We just have to wait and see."

"We don't have that kind of time." Dean replied.

"Well there are no other leads on our side right now. We can stay a few more days at least, if that's what she needs."

Dean stared at his brother, "Sam, we still have our priorities you know."

"Yeah, but Elena is one of them now. And she needs us here." Sam said.

"This isn't going to end well. The vampires, her brother, it's a recipe for disaster. You know that." Dean was just waiting for it. If anything happened to her brother, Dean knew Elena would falter completely.

Sam nodded, "I know. This is bothering you isn't it?"

"What?" Dean asked.

"Her. The situation. I was surprised to hear about her parents." Sam tried to get Dean to open up, just a little bit. He knew the chances were slim. When it came to Elena, he was pretty shut down.

Dean set his burger down and looked at Sam, "I wish we could gank the vamps and be onto the next hunt. But, we can't."

Sam shook his head, "I'm getting a little tired of this macho man crap."

"Sam, in case you forgot we've got to deal with Abaddon and Crowley. Elena is going to be fine." He knew he was too forceful and that gave him away almost instantly.

"Right." Sam muttered and changed the topic of conversation.

OoOoO

Elena sat on the kitchen counter and took everything in. Everything was spotless, the fridge was well stocked. Fake plants and some art adorned the room. It was exactly the way Elena had left it. She had hoped after taking a walk alone she would feel more at ease, but it was pretty much the opposite.

"Jenna had to be out of town this weekend?" Elena said with disbelief. Jeremy had been home when she had arrived. Elena pushed everything negative out of her mind and focused on being with her brother.

Jeremy was eating a bowl of cereal, but he still looked up at Elena, "Yeah, we didn't know you were coming."

"Well I just wanted to see you." Elena smiled, trying not to sound too sad.

Jeremy shrugged, "Then why did you leave?"

Elena looked away, "It's hard to explain. But, I'm here now."

"For how long?" Jeremy countered.

Elena sighed, "Jeremy I don't want to argue. I want to spend time together."

Jeremy eyed his sister, "I thought you came back for the Halloween party."

Elena had completely forgotten the date. She smiled at her brother. If she had never left Mystic Falls she would have spent the last few days prepping for the party. Caroline would have been going crazy about what costume to wear. Elena would probably have been just as excited.

Jeremy's phone dinged and he began texting, a slight smile in his face. "Do you want to go together?" Elena asked hopefully.

Jeremy finished his texted and shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah, sure."

Elena was surprised, "Guess I'll see you there."

Jeremy pursed his lips and nodded, "So Jenna didn't really know the reason you left. She says she can't remember. Is she saying that for my benefit or what?"

Elena thought back to how Ezekiel had allowed Jenna's memory to be removed. Elena shrugged, "I don't know. I left with some friends, Sam and Dean. They'll be here soon I think."

Jeremy set his phone down, "You aren't going to be honest with me on this are you?"

"I'm not being dishonest. Well, not trying to be," Elena paused, "Jeremy, I've been worried about you."

"Why?"

"I'm not here to look out for you." Elena admitted.

Jeremy shrugged, "It's okay I have people."

"Vicki?" Elena questioned.

Jeremy clenched his jaw, "Yes, Vicki."

"Jeremy you need to let her go. She needs help." Elena spoke seriously. She knew she was crossing boundaries, but she was doing what was best.

"Look, for months after mom and dad died, I felt like crap, like "nothing really even mattered" crap. Now all of a sudden,I get these moments and things started to feel just a little bit better, and Vicki was in every single of 'em. So you may not see it, but trust me. Keeping me away from her is not for the best."

Elena couldn't argue with that. Just then the doorbell rang. Jeremy and Elena both got up, eager to escape the kitchen and made their way to the front door. Jeremy opened the door.

Elena smiled when she saw Dean and Sam. Then Caroline and Bonnie stepped into view. Instead of a girly reuniting of screaming and laughing, they just stared at her. They were not happy at all.

"Elena Gilbert, you have a lot of explaining to do." Caroline snapped.

"Come on in." Elena stepped out of the way as everyone shuffled in. Jeremy had an amused grin on his face as he walked behind the group. Dean walked in last. Elena couldn't help herself she hugged him.

"Today sucks." She whispered.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, I know. But it's almost over." Elena pulled away and gave him the best grin that she could muster. They both walked in towards the living room where everyone was.

Caroline was still ranting, "And then you show up with two hot guys out of nowhere? Really Elena, what's going on? Are you pregnant?"

Dean started coughing while Sam and Elena laughed hysterically. Jeremy, Bonnie, and Caroline were far from laughing. They all looked pretty grim in fact.

"How'd you even know I was back?" Elena asked.

Jeremy raised his hand. Elena glared at him, "Thanks Jeremy. No, I'm not pregnant."

Bonnie cleared her throat, "Okay, are you back now? For good?"

Elena looked at her friend, thankful for her. By how everyone else was reacting, she had kept her visions a secret. "I'm back. I don't know for how long." Elena said honestly.

Then Caroline and Bonnie began to smile and squeal and crowd around Elena. Elena rolled her eyes but smiled and hugged her friends. "You have to come to the Halloween party tomorrow!" Caroline spoke excitedly.

"I already am." Elena laughed.

"Halloween party?" Dean interrupted.

Caroline eyed him and Sam, "Yeah, you guys can come."

Elena shook her head, "It's not their thing." She wasn't so sure it was hers anymore.

Sam shrugged, "It might be fun?"

Dean glanced at his brother disbelieving what he had just said, "You want to go?"

Sam nodded, "Sure."

Caroline grinned, "Great, now lets order pizza or something. I'm starving and we have a lot to talk about."

"Uh, Jeremy can you show Sam and Dean to the guest room," she turned to face them, "You guys can put your stuff in there." Jeremy stood up reluctantly and motioned for them to follow her. Once they were out of earshot Caroline towards Elena.

"I want the tall one."

Bonnie and Elena laughed.

OoOo

After three hours of nonstop talking, Caroline and Bonnie had left. Jeremy had gone for a walk, which Elena was hesitant about letting him do. And now Sam, Dean, and Elena were the last awake.

"Your friends are nice." Dean said sarcastically. He was exhausted after all the teenage girl chat. Elena had seemed distant the last few hours, but she threw a pillow at him.

"They're harmless." Elena laughed.

"How's Jeremy?" Sam asked.

Elena shrugged, "I don't know. He seemed okay today, but I want a little bit more time with him," She paused and stood up, "I'm going to get some rest. Thank you guys for being so great today."

Sam shook his head, "No need to thank us."

Elena gave a grateful smile and turned to go to sleep.

Dean looked at Sam, "How long do you think she wants to stay here?" It wasn't that Dean was eager to leave; he just needed to know. Maybe part of him was afraid Elena would stay back here, but he knew, well he hoped she wouldn't.

"At least through tomorrow. Maybe everything will be sorted out by then?" Sam suggested.

Dean only nodded.

OoOoO

Dean walked quietly down the hall towards Elena's room. He felt like a teenager sneaking around, but he wanted to check on her. He knew her day had been beyond difficult and it was the most exhausted he had seen her. Even after the incident with Abaddon and the demons she had not been so drained.

He tapped lightly on the door and then let himself in. Elena sat up slowly and wiped her eyes sleepily. "Dean?" Elena registered that he was in her room.

"I, I uh just wanted to make sure you were okay. After everything today." He couldn't explain it but he knew he cared about Elena, probably more than he should.

Elena couldn't help but smile, "You can sit." She motioned for Dean to come closer. He sat beside her.

Elena let out a breath, "Today was not what I had expected. I thought this was going to be a one day thing and now it isn't."

Dean nodded and waited for her to continue. Sometimes you just had to talk it out.

"I've been thinking about everything all day. Jeremy wasn't like this before mom and dad died. And I feel guilty for leaving, but I don't think I have a choice. And the situation you and Sam are in with all of this isn't fair because I know they're vampires. You guys kill vampires and I'm asking you not to even though they have hurt people." Elena suddenly felt more awake as the problems from earlier resurfaced.

Dean scoffed.

"What?"

"You've got so much going on and you're thinking about me and Sam." Dean smiled and shook his head. He couldn't believe it. Elena hadn't even thought of it that way.

Dean continued, "You had a life before we came into and pulled you out. And I didn't even know about your parents," Dean paused, "There's a lot I don't know. And you don't know a lot about Sam and I or what we've done."

Elena bit her lip, "I know."

"My parents are gone too." Dean shared. He looked at Elena and watched for her reaction. She just nodded slowly. No pity or sadness, only understanding.

"There's something about you Elena. I can't figure it out." Dean looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Your our savior. You tell me." Dean tried to make light of what he was trying to say.

"Dean. I'm figuring it out too." Elena responded seriously.

"You know what's funny? I know Sam has Ezekiel inside of him, but he's different. He's himself. That happened the second you came in the picture. Can you explain that?" Dean asked.

Elena shook her head. She thought back to what Castiel had said to her.

"Or the fact that I can't even be in the same room with you without wanting to be near you. You calm me down with one touch. Not to mention, you eased into this pretty damn easily." He was not trying to sound accusatory.

Elena felt her cheeks burn. She had the same feelings for Dean, perhaps more intense. But, she stayed quiet.

"If you knew the things I have done, you'd run in the other direction." Dean looked down.

Elena put her hand on his and moved closer to him. Her heart was beating faster than it should, but she couldn't help herself. She had to be honest with him now.

"I eased into it, because I already knew what I was getting into." Elena whispered.

"What?"

"The first day we met, you grabbed me and I touched you. When I did that, I saw everything you've ever experienced." Elena couldn't believe she was telling him, but what choice did she have? She didn't feel comfortable lying to him anymore.

Dean could only stare at her.

"I know about hunting because I saw you doing it. Your family, hell, purgatory, the trials and everything in between I know about already. That's how I knew I could trust you enough to come with you and Sam. I knew you wouldn't hurt me." Elena further explained.

For a moment Dean felt exposed. This girl knew everything. He thought of his life, even the most private moments, that she supposedly knew. But he knew Elena wouldn't lie about something like this.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Dean asked.

Elena responded, "With all that was going on, I was trying to figure it out myself. I'm telling you now because I can't lie anymore. And you deserve to know." Elena knew this was going to change things between them. Even Sam didn't know everything about Dean. And now this girl did?

"And after everything you've seen, you still decided to come here?" Dean couldn't believe it. She was as crazy as he was.

Elena nodded.

"This is a lot." He said quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. There wasn't really a good time to tell you all of this." Elena felt enough guilt from keeping quiet this long.

"And what about you? You know why you're here or what you are?" Dean asked.

"I'm here because I'm supposed to be. I'm human," she paused, "I feel something happening to me. I'm changing." Elena told him.

"I know." Dean had seen it all happening before him. The looks Elena gave him alone told him she was changing. But, her presence alone affected everyone around her, especially his.

"Does it scare you?"

Dean stared at her, "Not one bit. We're all going to be here for you, not matter what."

"Don't be afraid of it." Elena could sense his trepidation.

Dean grimaced, "I am not afraid."

"Is this going to change things?" Elena asked warily.

"What? You knowing everything about me?" Dean questioned.

"Yes."

Dean shook his head, "No."

Elena suddenly felt exhausted. She scooted over to make room for Dean. He watched her pull the blanket back for him and then she looked up at him. Dean wanted to stay. He felt better being close to her and he wanted to be a comfort to her for the night.

Without further thinking, Dean got under the covers. Elena relaxed as he pulled her close. Usually nerves and second thoughts kept her in line. She brought her hand to his face and leant towards him. Her lips pressed against his, softly. While momentarily surprised, Dean tried to remember exactly how she tasted and felt. He pulled her closer and rested a hand on her lower back. Their tongues met and Dean let out a breath.

Elena pulled away too quickly for his likes but stayed close to him. She kept her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating. Dean looked down at her. He kept his arms around her.

"Why did you do that?" Dean whispered.

"I wanted to." Elena spoke softly.

Dean leant down and kissed her once more. He felt the recent problems leave him once again. He couldn't explain or accurately describe Elena or what she did to him, but he wanted more of it.

Dean moved his hand beneath her top, to the warmth of her skin. His hand traced up and down her back. Dean wanted her more than before. He felt an intense urge to claim her.

Elena pulled away from him slowly. She wanted him. And while she knew this certainly changed things, she was not sure she minded.

"Goodnight Dean." Elena said sleepily.

"Night Elena."

"Hey, Dean?" Elena tilted her head up to him.

"Hmm?"

"Don't leave in the morning."

**Next chapter will be up soon! Thank you guys :)**


	5. Nothing Stays the Same

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews/follows/favorites. I know I haven't updated in a long time, but life kind of got away from me! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you are still sticking with this story.**

"Okay, what year was a I born?" Dean asked grinning. He was leaning up against the counter while Elena ate a bowl of cereal. Since they had woken up, Dean was asking completely random questions to test Elena. She thought it was funny that she was so scared to tell him the truth and now he was making a game of it. She knew he had processed it though. When she had woken up this morning, he had been laying there, staring up at the ceiling.

Elena sighed, "Really? That's an easy one. January 24, 1979. Old man." Elena laughed at Dean's scowl. She put her bowl in the sink and poured Dean a cup of coffee.

"And you like your coffee black. Can we be done with this now?" She smiled sweetly as she handed Dean the mug. Dean shrugged. He was still mildly amused. Elena sat up on the countertop across from him. The sunlight streamed into the kitchen. It was strange being back home, because it didn't really even feel like home. The only reason she came back was for Jeremy and information about Katherine. Now that she knew about Katherine, Jeremy was really all that was left.

Dean stared at her. It had probably never happened that Dean would sleep beside a woman and it is innocent. Well, his thoughts weren't innocent. But he kept his actions polite.

She glanced up to Dean, "You are really okay with this?"

Dean stared, "With you knowing what you do?"

Elena nodded.

Dean shrugged, "Yes."

Elena scoffed, "Come on Dean. It's a lot."

"I know it's a lot. Trust me, I know. When I think of everything I've done, everything I've seen…Elena I don't want you to know that stuff. But you do."

Elena stared at him. She had a hard time believing he wasn't a little bit freaked out, but she would wait to talk about it. Dean watched her.

"Elena, think about it. Castiel sent us to you, you had visions of me, and when we touched you saw everything. I don't understand it, but it happened." Dean explained.

Elena gave him a soft smile.

"But I have a bigger question," Dean paused, "When are you ready to leave?" He hoped his serious question wouldn't dampen the good mood between them.

"Well there's a Halloween party tonight." Elena skirted around his inquiry.

Dean shrugged, "And?"

"I want to go. Jeremy will be there. Sam wants to go. My friends miss me." Elena tried to not sound like she was pleading with him. While Mystic Falls didn't really feel like home, these people were still important to her.

Dean forgot that she had this whole life before she met him. She was still a seventeen-year-old girl despite how he saw her and what he felt for her. Dean let out a sigh.

"Plus with adding Vicky into the equation, I'm not sure when I'll feel comfortable leaving." Elena spoke honestly.

"I can think of one way to fix the situation." Dean made direct eye contact with her.

She shook her head, "No."

"What are we waiting for? For Jeremy to get killed?" Dean spoke. He was not trying to be cruel. After all it was the truth. Dean was not going to mince his words. As protective as he felt over Elena, he was not going to hide the truth from her. He couldn't.

"Imagine if it was Sam." Elena muttered.

"You already know what has happened in those scenarios." Dean whispered. It was true. Elena had seen all of Sam's relationships crash and burn, either by his own hand or Dean's. But Elena wasn't this ruthless hunter. She wanted to be, and maybe one day she would be. However right now Jeremy was her little brother and she needed to protect him.

"I'm not you Dean," she paused, "A week, tops."

"A week?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Dean…" Elena trailed off.

"Fine, fine. One week, then we leave. We've got bigger fish to fry." Dean smiled, relieved that they had reached some sort of consensus. Elena rolled her eyes playfully.

Dean walked closer to her, a mischievous grin on his face. Elena stayed still waiting for a touch, a kiss, anything. Dean lingered before her, his eyes searched her face. She shyly smiled.

His lips almost met hers, but the front door slamming surprised them and Dean moved away quickly. Elena cleared her throat as she hopped off the counter. Dean glanced back at Elena and winked. She stuck her tongue out in return.

Elena was expecting to see Jeremy walk in, but instead Sam and Caroline stumbled in laughing and sweating. Both had clearly just got done working out. "Good morning." Caroline smiled too big.

"Morning." Elena said slowly.

"Hey! Oooh breakfast!" Caroline couldn't stop smiling. She grabbed the bowl of cereal out from behind Elena.

"What have you guys been up to?" Dean asked, eyeing his younger brother.

"Just went for a run." Sam smiled. Elena hadn't seen that smile in forever; she shook her head at the thought. She hadn't even known Sam forever.

"A run huh." Dean muttered.

"Yep. Are you guys excited for the dance?" Caroline asked, making conversation.

"Yes, except Dean-" Elena couldn't finish her sentence before Dean interrupted.

"We're ready to party." Dean smiled enthusiastically.

Elena flashed her eyes to him, trying not to look surprised. Sam noticed, "You're going?" He questioned.

"Wouldn't miss it." Dean said smugly.

Elena grinned. She wanted to kiss Dean, but decided against it. "Well I'm headed to the school to set up for a little bit. Want to come?" Caroline asked Elena.

Elena shrugged, "Uh, sure. Why not." It had been so long since she'd been to the school. So many faces she hadn't seen and questions she knew she would have to face sooner or later. She wondered who would be there. Stefan? Bonnie? Matt? Elena turned to Sam and Dean.

"I'll be back in a few hours. Don't get into too much trouble." She teased.

"See you later." Caroline stared at Sam, then turned out of the room.

Elena glanced at Dean, "Guess you need to get a costume."

"What are you going to be?" Dean asked, not believing he was actually having this conversation.

Elena shrugged playfully, "I have no idea. See you guys later." Even though she knew exactly what she would wear, she just wanted to see what Dean would come up with on his own. Elena walked out leaving Dean and Sam alone in the Gilbert house.

"Running with a high schooler?" Dean grinned.

Sam raised his eyebrow; "I think that's a little more innocent than anything between you and Elena."

"Nothing there dude." He didn't like the way the words came out of his mouth. It was all a lie and they both knew that. But Sam was going to let Dean continue this charade until he finally opened up.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"What are you dressing up as?" Sam asked.

"I'm not." Dean said flatly. Going was a big enough step, dressing up would probably never happen.

"Oh."

"Are you?"

"Maybe." Sam muttered.

Dean's phone rang interrupting their conversation

"Kevin, how's it going?" Dean asked casually. He was still slightly concerned about Kevin since he had recently wanted to leave the bunker.  
"Good. How's Elena's?"

"Fine I guess. Is something wrong?"

"I translated some tablets. I-I hit a wall translating the tablet into English. But I found an ancient codex, uh, linking the Angel script to proto-Elamite cuneiform, and I was able to translate the tablet and the footnotes into Elamite, which is exctinct." Kevin excitedly explained.

Halfway through Kevin's explanation, Dean had put his phone on speaker. This stuff was over his head and he hated research to begin with. Sam however listened intently.

"Well, can you read it?" Sam wondered aloud.  
"No one can. Scholars have tried for centuries." Kevin informed the brothers.

"So it's a dead end?" Dean asks frustrated. On Kevin's side of things, nothing. Mystic Falls, a bunch of crap he shouldn't even be dealing with."

Kevin could sense their frustration so quickly added, "N-not quite. Now, most proto-Elamite is abstract, but I was able to decipher one phrase from Metatron's footnotes. "Falling angels."

Sam glanced at Dean, and then said into the phone, "Okay, so, the footnotes refer to Metatron's spell?"

"Maybe." Kevin wasn't exactly certain.

"Well, maybe if we can decipher the footnotes, then we can reverse the spell and…" Sam began.

"Punt those winged dicks back to heaven." Dean slammed his hand on the counter excitedly. Now they were getting somewhere. "Where do we start?"

"Research. When we get back, we can comb through the library and see if we can find anything else on Elamite." Sam didn't mind research so much.

"I'm looking at volume one of Zimmerman's Encyclopedia of Extinct Language." Kevin announced.

"How many volumes are there?" Dean asked.  
"Twenty-four." Kevin didn't want to mention that part.

Dean grunted in protest.

Reassuringly Kevin said, "Don't worry, we've found them all. When you guys get back it'll be faster."

"Can't wait." Dean said dejectedly.

"You'll call us if anything comes up?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Be safe." And with that Kevin hung up.

Sam and Dean glanced at each other.

"Friggin great." Dean muttered as he looked at his brother.

OoOoOo

Mystic Falls High was the exact same. A large gymnasium, filled with students planning and decorating for the party. Lots of excited chatter surrounded everyone. The DJ was practicing songs for the evening. Snacks and drinks were being set out as well. It was complete normalcy.

Elena felt like she was back to a typical high school student and she wasn't sure it was a good thing. Yes, there were the staring and whispering from the other students. But, that's what it was like when she attended school anyway.

Elena was painting the banner that would hang at the entrance of Mystic Falls High for the Halloween Party. This task, which she used to take great pride in, simply felt mundane now. Bonnie sat across from her working on the other side of the banner, while Caroline was off somewhere ordering around other students.

Bonnie and Elena had mostly been silent. She knew Bonnie had questions, especially since she knew that Elena had had the visions. But, it was a difficult topic to broach. Neither of them knew what to say. Both girls possessed something within themselves that they didn't fully understand.

"I'm glad you're back." Bonnie said absentmindedly.

Elena looked up, a protesting look on her face.

Bonnie backtracked, "Well not back for good, but here for now. It feels like normal."

Elena wanted to laugh. She loved them, but this place did not feel right any longer. She set the paintbrush down and stared at her friend. She looked the exact same, but how could that be when so much had changed.

"Bonnie, my life isn't here anymore." Elena said softly.

Bonnie smiled sadly, "I know, but it's nice for me to pretend."

Elena sighed, "I'm kind of surprised to be back so soon honestly."

"Well it's probably good. Jeremy is a wreck." Bonnie half-heartedly hoped that that alone would make her stay. The attempt was of course futile.

Elena ran her hands through her hair, "I don't know what to do about that. I can't stay here forever. I told Dean that the longest we'd be here was a week."

"You and Dean…seem close."

"It's kind of complicated." Elena muttered. She remembered saying the same thing about Stephan. This was just a whole different game now. Things had happened so fast that she hadn't really caught up to everything yet.

"You've changed." Bonnie sensed her. And it was dissimilar to how she had felt before.

"I've been trying to tell you that." Elena laughed, but not out of humor.

"Are you sure that the Winchesters are good for you?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes." No hesitation.

"And Dean?"

"What about him?" Elena tried to stop her face from flushing.

"Have you slept with him?" Bonnie asked unabashedly.

Elena gaped at her, "What? No! We just met." Elena's cheeks flamed. It had crossed her mind, but how could it not? Dean was strong, protective, and goofy. He provided comfort to Elena. Yes, there were parts of him too complicated and sometimes he was ridiculously unaware.

"Just checking." Bonnie grinned.

Elena chuckled away her embarrassment. She glanced up and saw Caroline walking towards them. "I would be more worried about her and Sam." Elena gossiped, allowing herself to be a normal seventeen year old.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "She couldn't stop talking about him last night. It was driving me crazy."

"What are you guys doing?" Caroline asked bossily.

Elena held up the paintbrush, "Painting Mistress Caroline." Bonnie laughed. Caroline huffed, relaxed and smiled.

"It looks really good." Caroline conceded.

"All the decorations do, everyone will love it." Elena said encouragingly.

"I hope." Caroline sighed.

"Maybe we should all get ready together tonight? Like old times?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes! That would be so much fun!" Caroline clapped her hands.

Elena wasn't as excited, but nodded, "Sounds good."

"Meet at my house at three?" Caroline suggested.

Elena glanced down at her phone. It was already noon. She had been at the school for three hours already.

"Okay, well I'm going to head home then and shower. See you both later." Elena hugged both of her friends and hastily left, not giving them enough time to dispute her leaving.

OoOoOo

There was no sign of Jeremy, but she had faith she would see him tonight for the dance. Elena's Aunt was out of town. No sign of Sam or Dean. She was alone in the empty house.

She went upstairs to her room and was surprised to see Dean asleep in her bed. She smiled slightly and closed her bedroom door quietly. Elena walked over to her closet and grabbed her Halloween costume from last year, a simple nurse outfit. It wasn't overly sexy but she liked it. Her and Matt had gone together last year as a nurse and doctor pair. She fingered the white material and smiled fondly at the memories.

"What's that?" Dean asked, startling Elena.

She jumped and twisted to look at him. He was sitting at the edge of the bed now. How had she not even heard him move?

Elena held it up, the costume folded into a ball, "My costume."

Dean stood up and came to grab it from her. Elena let him take it. He held the dress out in front of him and stared at it. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her.

"Where's the rest of it?"

"Very funny Dean." Elena took it out of his hands.

Elena fought her smile and sidestepped Dean and walked towards her bathroom. She could feel his outrage, but she knew he wouldn't say anything more about it. She kind of liked that he was bothered by it. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a light sweater to change directly into.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," she paused, "I'm getting ready with Caroline and Bonnie so I'll meet you guys there?"

Dean nodded and sat back down on the bed. Elena closed the door and Dean let out a big sigh. What the hell was happening with him? Dean wasn't the jealous type. If he even became close to being jealous he ditched the girl. It wasn't something he liked. And Elena just wasn't someone he could walk away from.

Dean put his head in his hands and tried to relax. He was uneasy in Mystic Falls. This was not normal for him, nothing about this situation was. He looked around Elena's room for the hundredth time that day. He was going out of his mind with boredom. He chuckled at the thought of the days when he was ready to be done with hunting. Now, it was his whole life. Maybe one day he'd go back to wanting out.

He felt Elena sit behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and Dean visibly relaxed. He didn't even think about it, he covered her clasped hands with his. She kissed his cheek, her lips soft against his stubble.

"Thank you for staying." Elena whispered.

Dean nodded.

Elena tiled his face back so he was looking at her. His green eyes pierced hers. His gaze didn't break. He leaned forward and kissed her. He didn't kiss her enough, he thought to himself. Elena moved slowly that she was straddling him, his hands moved to her waist. Her hands cupped his face and she pushed to be closer to him. It was like she couldn't get close enough to him. Elena let out a shaky breath when Dean pulled away.

She was never really this aggressive. Not that Dean was complaining, but he was curious. Elena's pupils were dilated, her breathing heavy. Elena thought that maybe her brief talk with Bonnie had influenced her, but she always felt this way around Dean.

"What's gotten into you?" Dean smiled.

"Nothing."

Dean cocked his eyebrow.

"What?"

Dean shook his head then kissed her again. He slowly turned him and Elena over, so her back was to the bed. His hands firmly grasped her waist. Elena wanted to feel his skin, to feel him. Her hands slid under his black t-shirt and rested her hands on his chest. Dean made a soft sound that Elena hadn't heard from her, but it only spurred her on.

"Oh, you didn't run off just to be with some guy huh?" Jeremy's voice gruffly boomed through the room.

Elena moved of off Dean with intent, "Jeremy, wait" Elena shouted.

Jeremy was already leaving the room as Elena moved off of Dean. Dean let out a sigh and cursed under his breath. Interruptions were all around. He moved to follow Elena out.

She twisted towards him, "Just wait, okay? He's going to be upset."

He put his hands up in surrender, "Okay."

Elena gave an apologetic smile and rushed after Jeremy. She didn't think that she could handle any arguing, but she knew he was going to be angry. She had a pit in her stomach in thinking that Jeremy thought she only left to be with some guy. In essence, yes, but it was something much greater than just that.

Jeremy was almost out the front door, but Elena grabbed his wrist. "Jeremy, stop."

"Why? You left us, everything here, for some guy I've never even met. No ones met him! Everyone at school thinks your pregnant, did you know that?" Jeremy stared at her accusingly.

"Well I'm not."

"So what are you doing?" Jeremy questioned.

Elena stared at her brother, "I'm helping him and Sam."

"How?"

"It's complicated Jer."

"Don't think I didn't notice the scar above your eyebrow, or the bruise that hasn't quite faded away near your eye." Jeremy's tone was acidic. Elena looked away. This wasn't what she expected.

"It wasn't Dean or Sam if that's what you're thinking." Elena bit out.

"I don't. I haven't quite figured it out yet though."

"I'm safe and protected. Dean is…he is important to me."

"You're together?"

Elena looked away, "It's not something I can define." She felt like an idiot.

Jeremy clenched his jaw.

"I promise I didn't leave just to be with him."

"But you won't tell me the truth." Jeremy countered.

Elena sighed, "That is as much of the truth as I can give you."

Jeremy nodded and stayed quiet. "Okay." He shrugged in response. Elena knew that it was not okay, but there was nothing left she could say.

"Alright." She whispered. Jeremy turned and walked up the staircase, back to his room. Elena let out a breath and shook her head. She was frustrated and angry about this whole situation. If only Jeremy could see it for what it was. But, she was not ready to expose him to the real world.

As Jeremy was walking up the staircase, Dean passed him coming down holding Elena's bags. There was a tight smile plastered on his face. He handed Elena the bright pink gym back and looked up after Jeremy.

"Didn't go so well?" He asked.

Elena shook her head, "Not really, no. But I have to get going. Please don't bother him."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Dean countered.

Elena raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, okay. I mean it Dean." Her phone dinged and she saw it was a text from Bonnie.

"I have to go. Bonnie is here. See you later?" Elena looked up. She still didn't believe Dean would venture into a high school dance willingly.

"I'll be there." He confirmed.

Elena smiled and then was out the door.

Dean rolled his eyes at the ridiculous situation and looked up towards Jeremy's room. There really was only one option.

OoOoOo

Dean rubbed the back of his neck and began to knock on Jeremy's door, but quickly lowered it. He was hesitant. "Come one Dean." He muttered. Why was he getting anxious about talking to some teenager? He took a deep breath and loudly knocked twice on the door.

Jeremy opened the door and almost closed it. Dean shook his head and stopped it with his boot.

"Jeremy c'mon." He pushed his way into the room. The room was a little dark for Dean's taste. Everything was black or dark blue. He was the definition of an angry teenager. It was strange, but Dean wondered what he would have been like if he would have been just a normal guy Jeremy's age. What would he have put in his room? How would have dressed?

The door opened swiftly.

"What do you want?" Jeremy was all angst and drama.

"You need to take it easy on Elena." Dean cut to the chase.

Jeremy began to argue, but Dean raised his hand and shook his head. He was not Elena and was not going to let some kid fight him on this. As far as he was concerned, Elena was of the utmost importance.

"I don't care what you think about this. I'm telling you there is a lot out there you don't understand. Your sister cares about you and she's put up with you no matter what. Now you're the man of the family, time to start acting like it. You need to grow up and take care of yourself and your sister." Dean flashed back to one of the many pep talks he had given to Ben at one point, but shook the memory away.

Jeremy clenched his jaw.

"I know you don't like me, that's fine. You don't have to. But you do have to respect Elena." Dean couldn't believe he was standing there, defending her.

"You love her?" Jeremy looked up at Dean, his face softening.

Dean kept a straight face, "That isn't what this is about." He deflected.

Jeremy nodded.

"Now tell me you understand." Dean ordered.

"I understand," he paused, "I'll do better." A flash of guilt came over Jeremy's face. Dean knew growing up was not easy, but he had hoped he had helped in someway.

Dean cleared his throat, "All right. Good talk."

Dean turned to walk out the room.

"You going to the dance tonight?" Jeremy called after him.

"Yeah." Dean felt like this whole day wasn't real.

"What's your costume?" Jeremy asked.

Dean snickered, "Not a costume guy myself."

And with that he shut the door and walked back to Elena's room.

He wanted out of Mystic Falls.

OoOoOo

Elena stood off to the side, watching her old peers interacting. She had a cup punch cradled in one hand that she kept sipping out of. Her nurse's costume still fit perfectly. She had straightened her hair and put on some makeup to play the part. But now that she was at the dance she couldn't believe that these were the events she had once lived for.

Her eyes went to Jeremy as he scared some kids in a group. She rolled her eyes. She had hoped their fight earlier wouldn't cause too much damage. Hopefully not, but right now everything was up in the air.

Elena jumped as she felt a hand slip across her lower back. She turned swiftly and relaxed when she saw it was only Dean. They both exchanged smiles and her hand went to his.

His gaze slid down to her costume and rested on her cleavage. "Eyes up here buddy." She teased.

Dean grinned and squeezed her hand. Elena looked over him and raised her eyebrows. He was dressed as he usually does, a grey t-shirt, faded jeans and biker boots. But there was a tool bet dangling from his waist. Elena couldn't control her smile.

"You dressed up after all." She murmured.

Dean responded, "I guess I did."

"Thank you." Elena leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on Dean's cheek. He smiled at her, allowing himself to forget he was at a high school dance. Elena looked around Dean.

"Where's Sam?" She wondered aloud.

Dean rolled his eyes, "He got here and went with Caroline. Haven't seen him since this."

"Oh good." Elena muttered.

Just then a boy walked up, interrupting Dean and Elena. He was tall and blonde. To Dean, he was the definition of the all American boy. His eyes were clear blue and his smile was a little crooked. He was dressed as a doctor. It didn't take much for Dean to figure out that he and Elena had some sort of past. The kid stared at her shamelessly.

"Hey Matt." Elena smiled, albeit a little awkwardly.

"You went with last years costume too, huh?" Matt responded.

Dean crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh yeah, no reason to buy a new one," she glanced to Dean, "Matt, this is Dean. Dean, Matt."

Dean gave him a smug smile and Matt returned it, but his eyes quickly went back to Elena. "I didn't believe it when I heard you were back in town." Matt said softly.

"I won't be here much longer. I just needed to check in on Jeremy,"

"Yeah, how has he been?" Matt asked.

"Well, he's not talking to me right now. We got into a fight." Elena explained. Dean observed the two of them. For him it was clear that Matt still felt something for Elena.

Matt nodded in understanding and sighed, "Yeah, I got into it with Vic too when she got home. I'm trying not to smother her tonight, but part of me didn't wanna let her out of my sight."

Dean cut in, "She's here?"

Matt looked confused, "Yeah, you can't miss her. She's a vampire."

"Where did Jeremy go?" Elena asked no one in particular as she began to scan the crowd. Her heart began to thump faster as she looked for her brother.

She began to move away, Dean following her.

"Elena what's the matter?" Matt asked.

"Nothing." Dean responded, leaving Matt standing alone.

OoOoOo

Dean and Elena hastily moved down an abandoned hallway. Elena hoped she ran into Jeremy before Vicki. She knew she shouldn't have trusted Stephan and Damon to keep her under control. It was a mistake to even let Jeremy come. They should have stayed home where it was safe.

Dean stopped quickly and grabbed Elena's hand. He motioned towards a classroom. Stefan and Vicki stood inside, talking. Elena let out a sigh of relief and barged into the room. Vicki's costume was the stereotypical vampire, complete with a cape.

"Thank god." She never thought she would be so happy to see them.

"What's the matter?" Stefan asked, worried.

Dean answered, "We couldn't find Jeremy. She was worried." Vicki held an even glare on Elena. Dean didn't like this situation at all, but he was not in control of it. This was unfortunately not his territory, but he was waiting for one slip from the young vampire.

Just then Matt came into the room, breathing heavily. "What's going on?"

Stefan smiled, "Hey, everything's fine."

Vicki shifted into a defensive position. "I told you to quit bothering me." Her voice was harsh. Dean had to hand it to her because she was quite the actress.

Elena stared at her and said, "No Vicki. Don't do this."

The vampire stared helplessly at her brother, "Matt, he won't leave me alone."

Matt turned to Stefan, "You need to back off man."

"Matt, it's okay." Elena stepped between the two of them.

Matt shook his head, "No, it's not okay," he turned to Stefan, "What the hell is your problem?"

Dean looked back to the spot where Vicki had been standing. She was gone.

"She's gone." Elena said to them.

Stefan held his hands up in surrender, "I'm trying to help her Matt. That's all."

"Let's go." Dean motioned Elena out of the room.

If Vicki got near Jeremy they would have much bigger problems on their hands.

OoOoOo

Dean heard Jeremy scream first and then saw Elena take off in a sprint. He was after her without a thought. They had come out behind the school in hopes of finding Jeremy. Dean saw Elena pick up a wooden plank and slam it into Vicki with all the strength she had. Vicki barely flinched.

Vicki laughed and threw Elena aside into a pile of garbage. Dean moved towards Vicki, but Stefan came into sight and pushed the girl against the bus. Jeremy kept yelling Vicki's name as he was quickly becoming hysterical.

Dean grabbed him. "Get inside. Go." He yelled at Jeremy. He ran over to Elena and helped her to her feet. She moved over to Jeremy and began to run inside. Dean followed behind Stefan in order to search for Vicki.

"Where'd she go?" Dean called.

"I don't know." Stefan responded.

In that moment, Dean felt the urge to turn around. He saw Vicki grab Elena. It was as if it was happening in slow motion for him. He sprinted towards her. He had a small machete that had been dangling on his tool belt that he unsheathed.

He saw Vicki bite into Elena's shoulder and heard her scream. Just as Elena's scream came to an end, Dean sliced clear through Vicki's neck, severing her head. It sounded as if he was far away, but Jeremy kept screaming for Vicki.

Dean grabbed Elena, "You okay?"

She nodded and looked past Dean's shoulder. Stefan was holding Jeremy back.

"Stefan, get him out of here." Elena commanded.

Dean inspected the bite on her shoulder, blood seeping from the wound. "We need to get back. I'll clean this and then you need to rest." Dean spoke to her gently. He found he talked to Elena differently than he had anyone before her.

Elena stared at Vicki's body. She couldn't believe it. It all happened so quickly. Her eyes began to tear up and she hated it. She was sad that Vicki was dead. Matt lost his sister, Jeremy lost his girlfriend, and it was just hitting her. Death was going to follow her from now on.

"You should go. I got this." Damon was suddenly standing beside them.

Dean was startled. He took a breath and stared up at the sky, "I swear, how many of you are there?"

Damon snickered, "Too many for you to count."

Elena moved away from Dean and went to stand before Damon. "You did this. This is your fault." She accused.

Damon smirked, "Wasn't me. Maybe blame your machete-wielding boyfriend? I don't know, just a thought."

Elena moved to slap Damon, but Dean pulled her hand back. He would let her get this out of her system, but he sure as hell did not trust Damon enough to let her hit him.

"None of this matters to me. None of it." Damon stated cruelly.

"People die around you. How could it not matter? It matters, and you know it." Elena let her tears fall. Dean felt like she could be saying the words to him. Her life was as normal as it could have been before he dragged her into his life.

This time she did hit Damon. Damon didn't even flinch. Instead his eyes focused on her shoulder. Dean pulled her away, putting himself between Damon and her.

"You need to leave. Your wounds are bleeding and you need to leave." Damon said weakly.

Dean nodded.

"Come on Elena."

He wished there was a way he could shield her from all of this.

OoOoOo

The drive back was quiet. She sat in the passenger seat of the Impala holding gauze to her wound. The bleeding would stop soon, but it would take awhile to heal. It might scar.

Dean looked over at her and frowned. They had bypassed Matt on the way out of the dance luckily, but now she had to face Jeremy. Dean didn't know what to do or say. What exactly were they walking into?

"Elena, I'm sorry." Dean murmured.

Elena stopped looking out the window and looked at Dean, "What?"

"I know this isn't the life you imagined for yourself."

Elena shook her head, "Dean, it isn't that."

"Then what?"

"Jeremy shouldn't have to see any of this. And I don't know how I'm going to fix it." Elena admitted. She had racked her brain and only had come to one idea. And she knew Dean wasn't going to like it.

Dean pulled into Elena's driveway, "We'll figure it out." He turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition. He got out of the car slowly and watched as Elena walked towards her front porch. Stefan was just outside her front door, his arms crossed. Dean kept hoping the night would be over soon. Now that Vicki was gone, hopefully they could leave town sooner rather than later.

"Where is he?" Elena asked.

"Inside." Stefan responded.

Elena glanced back at Dean, who nodded. She walked inside leaving Dean and Stefan standing alone. Dean let out a sigh and sat on the front steps, his back to Stefan.

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen." Stefan said softly.

Dean rubbed his eyes and shrugged, "Yeah well it did and now we have to suffer the consequences," he paused, "She'll be okay."

Stefan nodded.

Elena walked out, her eyes red. Dean stood up. Based on her facial expression, it hadn't gone well. She turned to Stefan, her lips in a grim line.

"Can you make him forget?" Elena asked.

"Elena..." Stefan trailed off.

"Stefan, please. I don't know how he'll ever get past this. I just want him to forget everything that happened. I want him to forget I was even here."

"If I did it, there's no guarantee that it would work...Because of who I am. Because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right." Stefan admitted.

Dean glanced beside him and there stood Damon. Dean glared at him, while Damon smiled. Dean wanted to punch one of the Salvatore's in the face, but he wasn't sure which one he wanted to more.

"I can do it. If this is what you want...I'll do it." Damon offered.

"It's what I want." Elena was surer about that than anything else.

Damon nodded, "What do you want him to know?"

Elena took a breath, "I want you to tell him that Vicki left town and she's not coming back. That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. He's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best," she paused, "And I want you to tell him I stopped by just for today and that I'm doing really well. I'm very happy and that I am safe."

Damon nodded and walked inside. Elena came to stand beside Dean. She looked up at him, "We should leave now."

"What?"

"I'm serious. I left my bag in backseat and Jeremy needs his rest. We shouldn't be here any longer." Elena stared at Dean.

Her eyes pleaded with him. "Let me call Sam and we can get out of here soon." Dean pulled out his cellphone and called his brother. While he was doing that, Damon walked out solemnly.

"It's done." He whispered.

Elena nodded, "Thank you."

Dean tapped his fingers impatiently on the staircase until Sam finally picked up. "Hey Dean, where are you?" Sam answered.

"I'm at Elena's. We're planning on leaving tonight, you gonna be here any time soon?" Dean tried not to sound frustrated.

Sam responded quickly, "We're almost there. Caroline is driving."

Dean couldn't believe this night, "Well I hope you had a nice time." And shut the phone. Damon and Stefan stood on the front porch; both had their eyes on Elena. Dean turned to them.

"Alright guys, thanks. See you around." Dean tried to sound polite but it came off as rude. He just wanted the Salvatore brothers to leave. They both nodded and then disappeared with ease.

Elena rested her head on Dean's chest and finally relaxed for the first time that night. She was exhausted. Vicki as a threat was now gone, but at what cost? She hoped Jeremy would be okay after everything was said and done. However, she felt like she was doing more harm than good by being there.

"Everything is going to be okay." Dean assured her.

Elena nodded.

"After everything, I'm just glad you're here." Elena murmured. It was true. Dean was the stability she had never had, even when things were out of control she looked to him in a messy situation. After all he always jumped to her defense and protected her.

Dean smiled softly down at her.

He was glad she was there too.

OoOoOo

They had left Mystic Falls at around midnight. Elena was in the backseat, fast asleep. Sam had been pretty quiet about what his night entailed, but he felt guilty for missing the confrontation with Vicki. Dean was just happy to be driving out on an open road back towards the bunker. He had tried to convince Elena to say goodbye to Jeremy, but she assured him she had talked to him before Damon had gone in and said all she needed to. She honestly was not sure how seeing her would affect Jeremy after Damon spoke with him.

"Crazy two days, huh?" Sam laughed.

"They were crap." Dean muttered.

Sam just made a noise in response. Dean's phone rang loudly and Elena stirred in the backseat. Dean looked down and relief washed over him.

"Hello?" Dean answered.

"I may have a case for you. Four missing in Rexford Ohio, presumed dead. But no bodies have been released to loved ones. And there were reports of a strange substance at the scene." Castiel responded quickly, but he sounded otherwise preoccupied.

Dean scoffed, "Oh, well hello to you too Cas. How are you?"

"I am busy."

Dean shook his head, "All right, so how do you want to do this? You want to meet up at the latest scene? You want me to pick you up? What?"

Elena slowly sat up listening to the conversation and was intrigued that Castiel was calling. It sounded like a potential hunt, which just further excited her.

"Um, I've got my hands full over here. I just uh…" Castiel trailed off.

"Cas? Hello. Hey, you sure everything is," The phone clicked and Dean knew that Cas had hung up, "Okay." He set the phone down. He looked at Elena in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were sleepy and her hair was a little disheveled.

"We got a hunt?" Sam asked excitedly.

Dean shrugged, "Elena and I have a hunt. Kevin will need help with research." Elena perked up and grinned. Dean winked at her and laughed at Sam's expression.

"Dude." Sam was exasperated.

"Quit whining Sammy. We've got a few hours before we reach the bunker anyways." Dean reasoned.

"Yeah, easy for you to say." Sam shook his head.

"Yes it is." Dean chuckled.

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**


	6. New Places, Old Faces

Elena's heart was racing as blood dripped from a gash on her forehead. She rested on her hands and knees that were scraped and bloody. Sam lay beside her unconscious. She looked forward and saw Dean's body; his face was turned towards her. Elena grunted as she crawled towards Dean. She had no idea where she was or how she got there, but she could see him.

Elena reached out and grabbed Dean's shoulder and pulled him onto his back. She had never seen so much damage done to his body. She couldn't tell if he was breathing, but she felt the tears on her cheeks. His face was swollen and bloodied.

She shook him, "Dean, Dean come on. Wake up. We have to get out of here."

There was no response.

She shoved him again, "Damn it. Wake up!"

Dean's eyes opened and Elena jumped back.

His eyes were completely black.

OoOoOo

Elena woke up with a start. Dean stirred beside her, but stayed sleeping. It was their first night away from Mystic Falls. They had dropped Sam off at the bunker, avoided arguing with Kevin and went to follow Castiel's lead. Elena slowly climbed out of the bed and glanced at the flashing red numbers on the clock. It was four in the morning.

With a sigh she walked slowly into the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and took a deep breath. Her heart was still pumping. It had just felt so real. She could feel the blood on her skin, the throbbing of her head and the panic she felt at seeing Sam and Dean unconscious. But it was all a dream. She hadn't had such a vivid dream since before she met Dean.

She shook her head and left the bathroom. Dean was sitting up, waiting for her. She gave him a small smile. "You okay?" Dean looked concerned.

"Weird dream." Elena murmured as she pulled the covers over herself.

"Yeah?" Dean looked down at her.

"Yeah." Elena responded.

Dean didn't push. He only nodded.

OoOoO

Dean fixed his suit and glanced over at Elena. She was dressed professionally in dark slacks and a white button down. Her makeup made her look slightly older and more mature. Dean thought she looked too beautiful to be in law enforcement, but he kept his comment to himself.

"Ready?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Elena began her confident stride towards the victim's cabin. Castiel had led them to Idaho. Sam was a little weary of the whole situation. He wanted to come with the two of them, especially if there was a chance at seeing Castiel. But, Dean had maintained his ground and they had left the bunker quickly.

Dean and Elena walked underneath the caution strip and were quickly approached by the sheriff.

"So, uh, four missing?" Dean asked casually.

"Four dead. Just got confirmation." The sheriff responded.

"And, uh, any common threads you can think of?" Dean glanced at him.

"Well, Joe in there had the suicide hotline on speed dial. The gal before him was a shut-in. Had enough antidepressants in her medicine cabinet to stock a pharmacy. The first victims – a married couple out of Sugar City. Pretty much a walking billboard for no-fault divorce." Was the explanation they received.

Elena listened attentively, while Dean continued on his interrogation.

"Were they all basket cases? Dean asked. Elena shot him a look at his word choice. She thought he was slightly unprofessional, but the sheriff seemed unfazed.

The sheriff chuckled, "If you asked me to make a list of this county's saddest sacks, these four would've been right on top."

"All right, so, four unhappy people, one of them definitely suicidal." Dean muttered.

"But you've ruled out suicide?" Elena questioned.

The sheriff handed them both a pair of gloves. "You're gonna want to put these on." He instructed.

Elena followed Dean's suit and put the gloves on. It was a typical cabin on the outside, but inside the cabin was a different story. Someone in a hazmat suit was kneeling before them scraping evidence off the floor. Elena tried to not make a face at the odor. Dean grimaced. Pink covered the room. Elena was not sure exactly what she was looking at.

"This look like suicide to you?" The sheriff asked.

"Blood?" Dean tried.

"If the tests come back same as the others … it's everything. Blood, skin, hair, nails. Internal organs. Even clothing fibers. Like these poor souls got run through the world's finest wood-chipper."

"Any witnesses?" Elena asked.

The sheriff shrugged, "Same as the rest. Neighbors reported some kind of a pink flash. By the time we got here, all that was left was ... this."

Dean nodded, "Well thanks for filling us in." The sheriff nodded and headed towards another room in the cabin. Elena cleared her throat.

"Well, what do you think?" Elena asked.

Dean shrugged, "I don't know. Let's take a quick look around."

"Good idea." Elena smiled.

The pair broke off and began to look around the cabin for any sign of foul play. Elena only knew what she was looking for because she knew the signs from Dean's memory. She glanced across the room and saw Dean had sneakily pulled out his EMF and nothing.

Elena wondered what had happened to the man who lived here, because everything appeared to be normal. Dean came up behind her, "Let's get out of here. I'm gonna give Sam a call and could use a cup of coffee."

"Yeah, let's go." Elena murmured.

OoOoOo

"Put it on speaker." Elena nudged Dean.

He sighed, rolled his eyes and put the phone on speaker. "What else you got?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, we're almost through the texts over here," Sam paused, "We got nothing."

"Have you tried Professor Morrison?" Dean tried.

"Yeah, he's unreachable. He took a sabbatical to live amongst the Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea. Needless to say, we're pretty burnt." Sam sighed. Elena frowned. She crossed her arms and leant against the Impala.

Dean took a breath and hated what he was about to suggest. "Well, there's one guy there who is nothing if not well-rested." Dean trailed off.

"Crowley?" Sam was disbelieving.

Elena raised her eyebrows, but Dean calmly replied, "I'm just saying we're not keeping him chained up for the one-liners."

"It's worth a shot, I guess." Sam muttered.

"Just be careful, all right? Don't fall for any of his "quid pro quo" crap." Dean warned.

"Noted. So, what about you guys? How's Cas's lead panning out?" Sam asked.

"Four victims suddenly exploded. I tried EMF. I've looked for hex bags, sulfur – nada." Dean explained.

"Spontaneous combustion? Maybe the Thule?" Sam tried.

"No, no, no. I already ruled them out. The bodies were vaporized. They weren't burned." Dean squeezed the bridge of his nose.

Sam let out a frustrated groan, "That sounds like a real case. Dean, I should be there."

Elena bit her lip. She knew Sam had faith in her, but she was by no means a hunter yet. She had managed not to get injured too badly so far, but she had a knack for getting hurt. She moved away from Dean and towards the convenience store they had stopped at.

Her mind didn't register what she saw. She kept her eyes focused and shoved Dean. He flinched and then saw what she was staring at.

"Naw, man. That's – That's uh ... not necessary. No, I, uh – I got this one covered." Dean closed his phone. Out of all the gas stations they could have stopped at in Idaho they stopped at the one that now employed Castiel. He was standing behind a counter and bagging a purchase for a costumer.

"No way." Elena was shocked.

"Son of a bitch." Dean shook his head.

He started walking towards the convenience store. Elena ran to catch up with him and tugged on his forearm. "What are you doing Dean?" She stopped him.

"Well I'm going to talk to him." Dean said.

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" Elena asked, playing the devil's advocate.

Dean huffed and looked up towards Castiel and back to Elena. He knew he was the one that told Cas he couldn't stay in the bunker, but Cas was still his friend. He probably should leave him alone, but his curiosity and guilt were more urgent than that.

"Are you coming or not?" Dean questioned.

Elena grumbled, "You are such a pain in the ass." Dean chuckled as they walked into the store together. An older man with a case of beer held the door for them. Dean gave a stiff smile and went to stand in the line for the cashier. Cas was selling a lotto ticket to the woman before him. He was slightly overenthusiastic, which made Elena smile. The woman walked away slightly puzzled and Elena and Dean moved forward.

Elena was about to say hello, but Dean cheekily said, "I'll have some beef jerky and a pack of menthols."

Castiel's smile faded immediately.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a straight face.

"Gee, it's nice to see you, too, Cas." Dean responded bitterly. Elena pinched his upper arm.

"Hey Cas, it's good to see you." Elena smiled.

Castiel attempted to smile. "It's … Steve now," He pointed towards his name tage, "And…uh you know you surprised me." Elena allowed herself to really look at Cas and was surprised how he actually looked happy, even just being in a convenient store.

"Well, the feeling is mutual. I mean, I knew you had to lay low from the angel threat, but, uh, wow. This is some cover." Dean cut in.

"My grace is gone. What did you expect? Do you have any idea how hard it was? When I fell to earth, I didn't just lose my powers. I – I had nothing. Now... I'm a sales associate." Castiel was proud.

"A sales associate?" Dean was disbelieving.

Just then a beer delivery guy came up to Castiel and asked him to sign something.

Elena turned her back to Cas and stared at Dean. "Could you please be nice? For two seconds?" Elena muttered.

"I am, but this is crazy." Dean whispered.

Castiel began to speak, so Elena turned to face him once more with a tight smile on her face. "I'm responsible for inventory, sales, customer service. I keep this place clean and presentable. And when my manager's busy, I even prepare the food."

Dean nodded, "Wow. So you went from fighting … heavenly battles to nuking taquitos?"

"Nachos too." Cas didn't let Dean bother him.

"That's great Cas." Elena spoke genuinely.

Castiel bent down and grabbed a box of jars and began to walk towards the back of the room. Dean and Elena followed. "This is not you, man. You are above this. Come on." Dean said, frustration evident in his voice.

"No, Dean." Castiel put the box on a countertop and turned towards Dean, "I'm not. I failed at being an angel. Everything I ever attempted came out wrong. But here … at least I have a shot at getting things right. I guess you can't see it, but … there's a real dignity in what I do – human dignity."

"Cas, it isn't that." Elena murmured.

A pretty woman with blonde hair and dark brown eyes came to stand between the three of them. She smiled as she said, "Hate to interrupt you guys, but Steve? Customer had an accident in the men's room."

Castiel nodded, "I'm on it."

Nora nodded, "Oh, and tonight – 7:00 at my place work for you?"  
"Great."  
"You're the best!" Nora said excitedly. Elena cast a sideways glance at Dean. Nora was pretty and it was obvious that Cas was somewhat attracted to her. Nora walked off without another word.

"That's what this is about!" Dean was exasperated.

"What?"

"The girl." Dean pointed in the direction that Nora had walked off.

"No, Dean. It's not. Nora – she's a very nice woman, I'm pretty sure she's not a reaper intent on killing me … and she's asked me out. Going on dates – that's something humans do, right? Like you and Elena date?"

Elena opened her mouth to protest, but instead just smiled at Dean's shocked expression. He looked down at Elena and back to Cas. He shook his head. Elena liked seeing Dean flustered.

"Yeah. I mean my dates…Elena and I…yeah, that's something that … humans do." Dean struggled. His cell phone rang interrupting their conversation.

"This is Agent Lee Ermey." Dean turned away from the group.

Elena took a step closer towards Castiel. "Cas, how are you? Really?"

Castiel looked down at Elena, a somber look on his face. He smiled gently, "I'm doing well."

Dean walked up before Elena could say anything else. "There was another kill over at the high school. You coming?" He looked at Castiel. Elena was mildly surprised, but hoped he would say yes anyway.

"I wouldn't be much use. I don't have my powers." Castiel spoke.

"So? I've never had powers. Elena doesn't have powers." Dean countered. Elena was not sure exactly how true that statement was. Castiel had even told her she was something special. But, nevertheless she nodded in agreement.

"You are a hunter and protecting one person is enough." Castiel muttered.

"Hey, I can defend myself…most of the time." Elena cut in.

Dean nodded, "And you're a hunter in training, remember?" He was focused on Castiel.

"Yeah, I remember. You said I sucked." Castiel pointed out.

Elena shook her head and Dean let out a nervous chuckle. "I didn't say that. I said that there was, uh, uh, you know, "room for improvement." Come on."

Castiel sighed, "All right, my shift's over in five minutes, and my date's not until later, so..."

Dean became excited, "Attaboy! I'll go get the car."

"Not just yet. I have to clean the bathroom." Castiel reminded him.

"Right, the uh bathroom. We'll just wait outside." Dean smiled a little forcefully. Elena waved to Castiel and then she began to usher Dean out the door. They went to stand near the Impala and wait for Castiel.

"You feel guilty, that's why you're asking Castiel to come with us." Elena glanced at Dean.

Dean clenched his jaw, "Elena…come on. He's out here alone"

"I know, but it was for the best. Remember?" Elena muttered.

"So what, I should have just ignored him? Act like we didn't see him?" Dean asked.

"I'm not saying that." Elena murmured.

"Well then what are you saying?" Dean defensively asked.

Elena shook her head, "I just don't want to hurt Cas. That's all."

Castiel walked out of the gas mart, a smile on his face. Elena bit her lip. He just seemed happier, but she couldn't tell if it was genuine or not.

Dean smiled, "Alright, let's go."

OoOoOo

Elena had stayed back while Dean and Castiel went to investigate. She wanted to give Castiel and Dean some time together. But she was beginning to regret her decision to stay back. Even with the windows rolled down, the Impala was beyond hot. Sweat covered her. She reached down and took off her heels. She unbuttoned her top and tried to cool off.

Dean and Castiel walked towards the car and it was obvious the news wasn't good. Elena scooted to the middle of her seat and leant forward. Dean slammed the car door shut as Castiel calmly sat down.

"How'd it go?" Elena asked.

"Fricken great." Dean muttered.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

Dean looked back at Elena to answer her question. He faltered when he registered that she had unbuttoned her blouse. He looked away, feeling foolish for even noticing. He wasn't some teenager.

"Care to explain Cas?" Dean glanced at him.

Castiel nodded and began, "On the battlefields of Heaven, there was a special class of angel, the Rit Zien. It's, uh, Enochian for "Hands of Mercy." They functioned like medics. They tended to the wounded. They healed those who could be healed, but for the mortally wounded, those who were past saving, the Rit Zien's job was to put them down."

Dean held up his hand and motioned for Castiel to get to the point, "But the granulated bodies?"

"This was their special ability. They had this way of smiting that was so quick and so total that it rendered death virtually painless." Castiel finished.

Elena shook her head, "Yeah but these aren't wounded angels, they're people."

"Right. I don't know. The Rit Zien home in on pain, it's like a beacon to them. So, when this angel fell to earth, he heard the victims' cries, and their anguish, same as he'd hear an angel's in heaven. He's continuing his heavenly work down here. One suffering human at a time."

"Yeah, but this last victim was not suffering. She was just a normal, moody kid." Dean muttered.

"But he just got here. The ebb and flow of human emotion – Dean, I've been on earth for a few years, and I've only begun to grasp it. To him, pain is pain."

Elena let out a breath, "So anybody? It doesn't matter who, they're fair game?"

Castiel nodded.

"All right, well, we got to stop him." Dean concluded.  
Castiel frowned, "You have to stop him."

"You're scared." Dean couldn't believe it. He was not used to this version of Castiel. Elena saw the look on Dean's face, but waited for Castiel to respond. She couldn't imagine what he was experiencing at this moment.

"It's different now, Dean. Everything feels different." Castiel spoke softly.

Elena nodded and put her hand on Castiel's shoulder, "It's okay, Cas. We'll take care of this."

Dean looked at Elena and clenched his jaw. She chanced a smile. She wasn't sure she would be wanted on this portion of the hunt.

"All right, I'll…we'll track down this, uh, Kevorkian wannabe, and put him down." Dean cleared up.

Castiel sighed, "Okay."

"You stay safe. Go on that date, all right? Go live a normal life." Dean tried to mean what he was saying, but he didn't mean it. He wanted that for Castiel, but it didn't seem possible.

"Okay."

Dean nodded and started the car. Elena watched the two of them stare at each other in silence. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" Dean asked.

"Dean…" Elena smirked.

"I need a ride." Castiel said in his usual monotonous voice.

Elena couldn't help but smile as Dean began to drive.  
OoOoOo

Dean rolled the car to a stop and placed his hands on the steering wheel. He looked over at Castiel. It bothered Dean to leave him again, but it was for the best. It wouldn't always be like this he reminded himself.

"Okay." Dean let out a breath.

"Thanks, Dean. Elena."

Castiel started to open the door, but Dean stopped him

"Cas. Wait. I can't let you do this." Dean let out a sigh.

"What?" Dean looked at Castiel's outfit. Elena rolled her eyes. She was hoping that Dean was going to say something else but, she shouldn't have been surprised.

"The vest? You're gonna wear that, on a date?" Dean smiled.

Castiel looked down and shrugged, "This is all I have."

"Okay. Uh, lose the vest." Dean instructed.

Castiel looked at his outfit again and turned to Elena. "Is there something wrong with this vest?" He looked at her and Elena couldn't resist those puppy dog eyes. She smiled, but it was more pitying than what she intended.

Dean looked at Elena and rolled his eyes, "Elena, c'mon. Cas, lose the vest. Come on."

Castiel hesitated, but took the vest off and handed it back to Elena. Elena smiled and put the vest on the seat beside her.

Dean stared down at Castiel and shrugged, "That's a little better. All right, there we go." Elena rolled her eyes at Dean, but smiled at Castiel.  
That's a little better. All right. There we go. All right.

"And do the buttons – why don't you unbutton it?" Dean suggested.

Castiel let out a sigh but began to unbutton his shirt. Dean continued to nod in appraisal.

"Okay. Th- that's far enough, Tony Manero. Um..." Dean looked over at Cas, "Yeah. Good. All right. Listen to me. Always open the door for her, okay? Ask a lot of questions. They like that. And, uh... Oh, if she says she's happy to go Dutch … she's lying. All right?"

Elena laughed and shoved Dean playfully. Castiel nodded, a concerned serene look on his face. Dean nodded and said, "Go get em tiger."

Elena wasn't ready for Cas to leave and she knew Dean wasn't either. It felt right having him there. Elena was comfortable. Cas slowly opened the car door and Elena followed suit. She stood before Cas and gave him an encouraging smile. "It was good to see you" Elena wrapped her arms around him and Cas hesitantly returned the embrace.

Elena wanted to tell him about her dream just to get it off her chest, but there was no time. Dean and her made eye contact, she couldn't read his expression. Castiel looked nervous, but his demeanor calmed.

"What's wrong Elena?" He whispered.

Elena stared at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"I may be human, but I can still read you." He countered.

Elena fidgeted, but shook her head, "Don't worry."

Castiel nodded and looked back at Dean. Dean gave him a thumbs up and Castiel returned the gesture, a strange look on his face. Elena patted him on the shoulder encouragingly. She climbed into the passenger seat beside Dean. They watched Castiel walk up to the front door of Nora's house. Castiel plucked a rose from her garden.

"We should go Dean." Elena kept her eyes on Castiel. A thorn from the rose had caught his finger and he was pulling it out. Dean smiled fondly at Castiel, but still nodded. Castiel turned once more and looked at the both of them. He waved to them and Dean waved back. Castiel stood there, a blank stare on his face. Dean chuckled as he pointed to the road ahead of them and then signaled that he understood.

Dean was about to drive off, but a light brown Ford pick-up truck was backing up towards him. Elena gasped, thinking they were going to be hit. Dean leant out the window and yelled, "Hey!" The truck's brake lights turned a bright red and Dean sped off.

OoOoOo

Elena looked out the window at the passing streetlights and the seemingly perfect homes. She imagined that the families were eating dinner or watching movies, something normal. Elena's life had been pretty normal, well not when she had found out Stephan was a vampire or that Bonnie was a witch. But before that, she was your typical high school cheerleader. Though, looking back, she realized she hadn't really liked who she was then.

"You're quiet." Dean muttered.

Elena let out a breath, "Think of all the people who have no idea what's really going on in the world. Everything supernatural just completely escapes them." She smiled slightly. Ignorance is bliss, but Elena had always preferred the truth.

"Maybe they're lucky." Dean suggested.

"No, I don't think so." Elena looked over at Dean and grinned. Dean shook his head. He wasn't sure where he stood on the idea. He had experienced normalcy and he had experienced being a hunter. But, being a hunter was his normal life.

"I guess we're in the know," Dean paused, "I wish Cas could have stayed with us."

"I know you do."

"But Sam's safety…"

"Comes first." Elena finished for him.

"No, it's not that." Dean did not want it to sound like he didn't care about Kevin or Elena. He had cared about people, but when he thought of the list of people he had shown his emotion for, the majority of them were gone.

Dean sighed, "It's always been me and Sam, no matter what. He's my little brother and I would do anything to protect him."

Elena nodded, "Dean, really you don't have to explain anything to me." She had seen the choices Dean had made in his life and the majority of them circled around Sam. Sam and Dean's relationship was the strongest bond she had ever seen.

"I know I don't have to." Dean said.

"I've seen everything, remember." Elena responded lightly.

"After Ezekiel finishes healing Sam, things will go back to normal." Dean finished lamely. Elena was not so sure that was the truth, but she would let Dean think whatever he needed to, to get through this phase with Sam.

Elena put her hand over Dean's and squeezed softly. Dean began to feel the exhaustion of the day. Seeing Castiel, at moments he had felt tension with Elena, but now he could at least get some sleep.

Dean's cellphone rang snapping them out of the silence. He glanced down at the caller ID.

"Sheriff?" Dean answered.

Elena looked over and waited.

"The husband is still out there." Dean nodded. He ended the phone call and looked at Elena.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked.

"We have to go talk with the sheriff." Dean responded.

OoOoOo

Elena stood beside Dean as they looked over some papers with the sheriff. Elena saw multiple photos and case files sprawled out on the table before them. The sheriff took a sip of coffee and began to speak.

"He was already a bit screwy, but then he found religion. She was a hard-line atheist, no peach herself, when he got himself obsessed with this Buddy Boyle whack job, an already bad marriage got worse. Kept telling her to "Let God in.""

"Buddy Boyle. That explains it." Dean muttered.  
"Explains what?" The sheriff asked.

"Never mind." Dean shook his head and picked up a picture. Elena glanced at the photo.

"Is that his truck?" Elena asked, the gears turning in her mind. She had seen this truck before.

"Yep." The sheriff said nonchalantly.

Elena and Dean looked at each other, realization sweeping through them.

They needed to get to Castiel.

OoOoOo

"Elena, no. You are staying here." Dean didn't care that he was raising his voice to her. He had images of her injured and hurt flashing in his mind and he was in no rush to see her like that again. If he was focused on Elena he couldn't help Castiel.

"I'm not asking." Elena kept her voice steady.

Dean clenched his jaw.

"Look Dean, you brought me on this hunt and I've stayed back for the most of it. But I'm not on this part. What if Castiel is hurt and you need help?" Elena stared at Dean who was focused on the road. They were speeding to Nora's home, hoping that they weren't too late.

"Damn it Elena," he paused, "Stay close to me and if something happens you run, okay? No matter what."

Elena felt a flare of victory inside of her.

"I will."

OoOoOo

Elena opened her eyes and immediately felt the pounding in her skull. She was in the backseat of the Impala. She could see Dean and Castiel standing outside of the Impala. Their voices were muffled and she stopped trying to hear what she was saying. She glanced up and saw the light of the Gas'n'Sip.

She remembered her and Dean had running into Nora's house. The angel had been standing there, Dean charged him and then they were knocked back. That was all she remembered.

"Seriously." Elena grumbled as she felt her head. There was a bump forming on her head.

She slowly got out of the car, the bright lights instantly hurting her eyes. "Hey, how ya feeling?" Dean asked, a semi smug look on his face.

"I'm fine. What happened?" Elena asked, her eyes flittering to Castiel.

"I killed the angel, Ephraim." Castiel spoke stoically.

"Oh…"

Dean cleared his throat, "We need to get back to the bunker Elena."

She nodded. She put her arms around Castiel and squeezed tightly. Castiel smiled softly. Dean moved to get into the drivers seat.

"I am sorry you got injured." Castiel murmured.

Elena glanced back at Dean and turned to Castiel, "Cas, I had a dream last night and it scared me."

"What happened?"

"I dreamt that…I thought Dean was dead and when I went to check if he was, he was a demon." Elena said it in a rush. Castiel's face contorted into confusion. He shook his head.

"Elena that will not happen."

"No, I know. I just…I just needed to hear someone say that." She admitted.

Castiel only stared at her, but it looked like he was still absorbing what Elena had told him.

"Goodbye Elena." Castiel sadly smiled.

"Bye Cas."

OoOoOo

"Don't even say it." Elena held her head. She was not sure she could handle Dean's "I told you so" at the moment.

Dean shook his head, "I'm not gonna say a word, but the more you hunt the better you'll get."

"Encouraging words from Dean Winchester," Elena laughed, "Did I miss anything else?" Elena asked.

Dean nodded, "I talked to Sam."

"Any headway with Crowley?"

"Well according to Crowley, we can't put the angel's back in heaven. It's done." Dean said bleakly.

Elena paused, "Now what?"

"Now we take care of the angels."

**Thanks for reading! I appreciate the reviews and follows :)**


	7. All Is Lost

"This is unbelievable." Elena muttered in complete awe. Buddy Boyle was on television again recruiting innocent, albeit probably naïve, humans to be vessels. His infomercial had already played through twice.

Kevin shook his head, "Well Bartholomew is heading all of this and he's doing a good job." Kevin lazily held up the remote and changed the channel. They had spent the day laying around, chatting and watching television. It was a nice break from all the research and it distracted her from thinking about Dean.

Sam and Dean had gone to a boy's home Dean had stayed at briefly in New York. Elena only knew that Dean still regarded the place fondly and he had seen the girl he shared his first kiss with. After their stint in New York, they travelled to a small town outside Sioux Falls to help out Jody Mills. Dean had mentioned meeting a woman named Suzy who had been in some erotic films. Elena had laughed when he told her he was propositioned but declined. She knew their relationship was changing, growing, but she wanted it to. Now it had been nearly three weeks and she just plain and simply missed him.

However, she kept in touch with Caroline and Bonnie, even though they were sometimes distant. Could she really blame them? She didn't share her information about hunts and they didn't share what was happening in Mystic Falls. Stephan would sometimes text her just to check in, but she rarely responded. She and Jeremy talked occasionally, but he was doing much better. He was studying more, spending more time with friends. He had met a girl, Anna. Elena was relieved in that sense. However, every time Elena talked to someone from Mystic Falls a surge of homesickness erupted inside of her.

"We'll stop him." Elena confidently grinned at Kevin. Kevin smirked, shook his head, and tossed the remote to her. She caught it and changed the station to some reality show. Even though her old life seemed to be over, she still imbibed on her guilty pleasures. Although actually liked spending time with Kevin. She had learned a lot about him and his life before meeting Sam and Dean. She understood the loss of his mother, as she had coped with the loss of both parents. He was so normal for someone who meant so much.

Kevin sighed, "Well any word from Sam or Dean?"

Elena shook her head, "Haven't talked to either of them. They should be back soon."

Kevin nodded, "Do you miss him?"

Elena felt her face heat, "I'm ready for them to be back." In truth she felt more comfortable when they were both near. She was always anxious when they were hunting and she could never shake it. She had seen what the brothers had survived, but nonetheless even simple hunts worried her.

Kevin chuckled sinisterly. She had a strong sense of déjà vu except it had been Jeremy teasing her mercilessly. Kevin was only a little older than Jeremy, however their life experiences were vastly different.

"Funny how things change, huh?" Kevin winked at her.

"Are we about to have a girl talk?" Elena joked back.

Kevin shrugged, "Honestly, it's just been nice having someone close to my age around. It doesn't hurt that you are new to all of this too."

"I know what you mean." Elena nodded in agreement.

The sound of the door shutting interrupted Elena and Kevin's chat. Elena perked up, but stayed seated. Even though Kevin questioned Dean and Elena's relations, Sam had never said anything. She was tired of being private about it, but she would wait a little longer.

Dean walked into the room first. "Welcome back." Kevin smiled at the boys. Dean and Elena's eyes met instantly. They both surveyed each other. Dean's eyes looked over her as if to make sure she was okay. She gave him a soft smile.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go rest up before we head out again." Dean said as he walked past Elena towards his bedroom. She bit her lip, immediately wanting to follow him. He seemed upset, but instead she focused on Sam.

"How's it going?" She asked.

Sam dropped his bag and sat on the couch beside Kevin. He looked tired and Elena imagined he was. They had been nonstop and had not really even made headway on the issue of the angels.

"I'm going to look into a lead and we might be heading out soon." Sam told them.

"What's the scoop?" Elena teased.

"Dead bikers, might be an angel thing." Sam sounded beyond exhausted.

"Sam it's okay to take a break. You look rough." Elena was completely honest. She was just as worried as Dean was.

Sam smiled, "Thanks Elena."

Elena chuckled, "I'm just worried. The angel's aren't going anywhere."

Sam shrugged, "That's part of the problem."

Elena glanced back at the hallway and looked back at Sam and Kevin. Their eyes were on her and she flushed.

"Go talk to him." Sam instructed.

Elena walked into Dean's room without a knock and shut the door behind her. His back was to her, his head tilted down. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. Elena slowly moved towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Dean tensed then put his hand on hers.

"What happened?" Elena asked, her voice soft.

"He's starting to notice something isn't right. He told me on the drive that he's losing gaps of time and I can't keep blaming the trials." Dean explained. He sounded far more concerned than he had before.

Elena searched her mind for some sort of response. "Ezekiel is healing him. It won't take much longer." She tried.

Dean pulled from Elena and moved away. "It's taken too damn long as it is. I can't keep lying to him." Dean sat on the edge of his bed and set his head in his hands. Elena hated seeing him so distraught. She knew Sam was the most important in his life and he had been since they were children.

Elena felt Dean's guilt and uncertainty. She bit her lip, and then moved to kneel in front of him. She gently placed her hands on the sides of his face and steadied his eye contact with hers. He reluctantly looked at her.

"Dean you're doing this to save Sam. You are protecting him, just like you always have. Once he's healed you can tell him about Ezekiel and he may not understand at first, but you did what you had to do. This is an impossible situation. We'll get through it. Okay?" Elena spoke with vigor. Every word she said to him she believed with all her might. She knew the lengths that both Sam and Dean would go to in order to save each other.

Dean stared at her so intently, her stomach tightened. She felt like she hadn't taken a breath since she had started speaking. Then Dean leant in and kissed her without any indication, Elena relaxed into him. His fingers moved to her hair and tightened. Elena moved to be on top of him, slowly lowering his back onto the mattress. Her fingers slowly moved to the hem of his shirt and lifted it off of him. Dean's hands grasped her waist and Elena took her shirt off in one swift movement.

Dean stared up at her, his hand moving over her flat stomach and up towards her breast. Elena inhaled sharply when she felt his grasp tighten. Her body rocked into his. The feel of his skin against hers was almost too much. The smoothness, the warmth, just being near him provided her a comfort she had not known she needed. His lips pressed against the skin of her throat. Every part of her was buzzing. Her senses were heightened as he pushed his hips towards her. Elena arched her back into him.

Everything stopped between them. She only saw him. Dean placed his hand on the small of her back and sat up, her legs wrapped around his waist. He pressed his lips onto her neck sending a shiver down her spine. This was further than they had gone before but Elena didn't want to stop.

She rested her forehead against his.

"Dean." She did not even recognize her own voice.

"Hmm."

Elena couldn't finish her sentence; a knock on Dean's door interrupted them. Dean gave a disbelieving scoff and Elena sighed. She had never discussed her sex life, or lack of one, with Dean before. He had never asked or made any comments whenever they did anything physically. But, she already made her decision in her mind about what she wanted to do.

"Dean, we should really get going." Sam called through the door.

"Where are you going?" Elena whispered.

Dean turned his head towards the door, "Alright. Be out in a few," he faced Elena, "We think we have a lead on the angel's."

"How long will you be gone?" Elena asked. He had just gotten back and she was not ready for him to leave yet.

"We are all going. That includes you." Dean announced.

Elena grinned, "Really?"

Dean nodded, "Go pack up. Be quick we need to get going."

Elena nodded and kissed Dean once more before moving off him and grabbing her shirt. She slipped it on and fixed her hair quickly.

She was about to leave the room when Dean asked, "What were you going to say before Sam knocked?"

Elena bit her lip. She wanted to be honest with Dean, but the moment had passed.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're back."

OoOoOo

They were outside of a biker bar, just getting to the scene. Elena had begun to survey the area, but she did not get far. "Uh Sam, Dean." Elena could not believe her eyes. The brothers looked up at Elena, then Sam cleared his throat.

Castiel moved towards the trio. "Ah, my colleagues."

He was dressed the part at least, Elena mentally noted. Dean had a scowl on his face, but Sam was grinning unabashedly. She wasn't sure what to think. After seeing Castiel last time she wouldn't say she was surprised that he was hunting now.

Sam responded, "Agent." His voice had dropped a few octaves and he was trying to sound professional. Elena bit the inside of her cheek so she would not laugh.

Castiel's eyes were dancing with entertainment. "Agent." He responded, happy to be a part of the group once again..  
"Cas. What the hell are you doing?" Dean was not playing along. Elena knew he had too much that he was dealing with and to him; Castiel would be just another responsibility that he couldn't handle.

Castiel's voice returned to normal, "Um, I still have that badge you gave me."

Dean shook his head, his eyes wide, "Yeah. Uh, what the hell are you doing?"

"The murders were all over the news. I, I thought I might be of help." Castiel explained. Elena felt for Castiel and she understood his plight.

Sam cut in, "Yeah, but Cas, you know that this is an angel situation, right? I mean, you left that night because angels were on your ass."

Elena glanced at Dean. Dean interjected, "Yeah, and you were living the life, you know? Early retirement, working your way up the Gas-n-Sip ladder."

"If angels are slaughtering one another, I have to do what I can to help. It is a risk we should be willing to take, don't you think?" Castiel spoke more towards Sam and Elena. Sam shrugged in agreement, understanding where Castiel was coming from. Elena felt torn. She wanted Castiel around, but she knew that him being there may jeopardize Sam's wellbeing.

"Cas is back in town." He announced.

Dean inhaled, "Seriously, did you – " he turned to Sam, "did he just say that?" Sam chuckled. Castiel handed them a batch of photos. Elena saw the gruesome images of bodies and gore.

"These angels, uh, they were butchered. Much more violence than was required." Castiel explained.

Sam studied the images, "Definitely took more than one or two killers to pull this off."

"Hit squad? Bartholomew's people?" Dean suggested. Elena hadn't fully integrated herself into all the information that Sam and Dean were learning about the angels. But she knew Bartholomew was using preachers to convince humans to let angels use their bodies and that he was actively hunting for Castiel.

"Well, Bartholomew has a faction we know about, but this could be somebody else entirely we don't know." Sam observed.

Castiel put his hand on Dean's shoulder, "Well, whoever it is... We'll find them."

""We'll" find them. That's great." Dean muttered.

OoOoOo

After a quick stop at the motel and a change of clothes, Elena, Castiel, Sam and Dean were at some random bar. It was pretty crowded, loud rock music played throughout the area. It was a hole in the wall so Elena had not gotten carded, but she had been nursing the same drink since they got there.

She sat beside Castiel, while Sam and Dean sat across from them. Dean was still upset that Castiel was there, but he was trying his best to hide it. Castiel took another giant drink from his beer. Sam had never looked happier.

"It is so good being together again. You know, this is my first beer as a human. I hope it's okay, me joining you?" Castiel looked pointedly at Dean, who had a tight smile on his face.

"Of course it is." Elena smiled at the fallen angel.

Sam looked confused, "Why wouldn't it be okay?"

Dean cut in, "You know, Cas, are you sure you're ready to jump back into all this? I mean, it seemed to me like you'd actually found some peace."

"Hey, you once told me that you don't choose what you do. It chooses you." Castiel countered.

"Huh?" Dean responded.

"Good advice there Dean." Elena tried to lighten the mood.  
"I'm a part of this." Castiel clinked his bottle with Dean, "Like it or not."

Sam ignored the awkwardness, "All right, well, then, in that case, we have to figure out, uh, who are we up against, what do they want, and how do we stop them."

Castiel nodded seriously, "Well, Bartholomew wants to reverse Metatron's spell. Presumably to – to retake Heaven once his following is large enough. That's according to April."

"The reaper you banged." Dean clarified. Elena raised her eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, and you stabbed." Castiel retorted.  
"Yeah," Dean paused, "Sorry about that. She was…a looker."

"So hot. And very nice. Up to the point she started torturing me." Castiel frowned.

"Yeah. Well, not every hookup's perfect." Dean patted Castiel's arm. Sam grinned at the exchange. Elena felt some of the tension leaving the group.

"All right. I'm gonna get us another round." Sam began to stand.  
"Nah. I'll get it." Castiel climbed out of the booth. "You know I've never done this before."

Elena laughed, "Alright Cas, I'll come with you."  
She had half a beer left, but she quickly chugged it. She set the bottle on the table and fought off the nearly involuntary shiver. Dean eyed her, a twinkle in his eye. He had never seen Elena drink and he was not sure how much she would be able to handle. She gave Dean a covert flirty smile and turned back to follow Castiel towards the bar.

Sam stretched his arms out and let out a sigh, "Yeah dude, nothing going on between you and Elena at all."

Dean finished the last of his beer, "Drop it Sammy."

Blue light flashed in his brother's eyes and his demeanor shifted.

"Oh boy." Dean exhaled heavily.

"What are we going to do about this?" Ezekiel stared at Dean.

OoOoOo

Elena tapped her foot to the music playing and looked out at the group of peoples dancing. Castiel ordered another round of drinks and followed Elena's gaze to the dance floor.

"Have you had any more dreams?" Castiel asked.

Elena looked back to Castiel, "No just that one."

"Good." Castiel responded..

"Do you care to share anything else Cas?" Elena tried.

"It is not my place." Castiel murmured as he grabbed two of the drinks and Elena grabbed the remaining two. She shook her head as they made their way back to the booth, Elena laughing and dancing as she sidestepped through the crowd. She felt relaxed being with all three of the guys.

They came back to the booth and Sam was gone. Elena sat in the booth besides Dean and Castiel sat across from them. Dean grabbed one of the bottles and took a long drink. Elena put his hand on Dean's leg.

"It is nice seeing you two together." Castiel smiled serenely.

"Uh…thanks Cas." Elena smiled tightly. Dean stared at the fallen angel.

Castiel gauged their reaction and seemed perplexed, "I do not understand why you would hide the divine bond that you two share."

"Divine bond." Dean repeated.

Elena could see his frustration was rising. "It just doesn't seem like a good time to talk about with everything happening." Elena tried again.

Castiel nodded and changed the subject, "Where did Sam go?"

Dean shifted, "He left something out in the car."

Castiel responded, "Well, I am I, um, I noticed you look... kind of uncomfortable whenever Sam mentions my leaving. Doesn't he know that you told me to leave?

Dean inhaled and Elena tightened her grasp on Dean's thigh. She didn't want him to say anything that was going to offend Castiel. Dean acknowledged her touch, but he still had to speak up.

"Here's the deal. When Sam was doing the trials to seal up Hell, it messed him up. Okay? The third one nearly killed him. If I'd let him finish, it would have. He's still messed up, bad." Dean explained.

"You said the angel, Ezekiel, helped heal him."

Dean avoided the question, "Look, I got to do anything I can to get him back. Now, if that means that we keep our distance from you for a little while, then... Then I don't have a choice. I don't feel good about it, but I don't have a choice. It's great to have your help, Cas. Okay, but we just can't work together."

"Dean…" Elena whispered.

Castiel looked devastated.

"We need to get going." Dean stood up and looked down at Elena.

Elena looked at Castiel and then to Dean.

"Cas, I'm so sorry." Elena murmured and then stood up beside Dean.

She felt completely torn. She had a soft spot for Castiel, but that did not seem like it mattered in this scenario. Castiel nodded.

"I understand." Castiel responded.

Elena stood and she and Dean walked out of the bar in silence.

OoOoOo

"Jeremy, I promise I'll call more. Tell Jenna not to worry." Elena repeated. It was the morning after leaving Castiel and Elena still did not feel good about it. She had called Jeremy deciding it had been too long since they had talked. It seemed that he was only spending time with this Anna girl, but that was all he really talked about.

Jeremy sighed, "You should tell her yourself."

Elena bit her lip; "I'll call her soon." Every time she talked to anyone the guilt that hit her was massive.

"You should."

Elena cleared her throat, "Anything else new happening in Mystic Falls?"

Jeremy laughed, "Actually, yeah, I think Caroline and Matt are dating." Elena smiled and was a little shocked. She could see it, she supposed, but it was an odd match in her mind. She preferred Caroline flirting relentlessly with Sam.

"Good for them." Elena spoke earnestly.

There was a silence and then Jeremy said, "I should get going. Do you think you could visit soon?"

Elena doubted that she would be able to break away from Sam and Dean with all the hunts and the angels. But she would try for Jeremy at the very least.

"I'll see what I can do." Elena smiled.

"Alright, talk to you later."

"Bye." Elena ended the phone. She set her phone on the nightstand and sat on the edge of her bed. She felt more at home in Dean's bedroom admittedly. She hadn't really unpacked her things yet.

A knock sounded from her door. "Come in." She sat up.

Sam walked in.

"Hey." Elena offered a smile. Sam looked slightly out of place in her bedroom, but nonetheless he returned her greeting. He stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. She could tell something was on his mind.

"What's up?" Elena asked.

Sam looked at her, "If something was going on, would you tell me?"

Elena kept her breathing steady and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I just have a weird feeling." Sam murmured.

"Tell me about it." Elena asked

"I keep losing chunks of time, I know that doesn't make sense." Sam shook his head and stared at the ground. Elena wondered if Ezekiel was going to come out since they were talking about such a sensitive topic. But, she had only seen Ezekiel when Dean was around.

"Dean mentioned you saying something about it." Elena revealed.

Sam nodded, "Even last night at the bar, I was sitting with Dean and then we were leaving and I don't know what happened in between."

He sounded so helpless and in need, Elena's chest ached. She put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Dean says it's the trials." Elena told him.

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure." Sam admitted.

Elena cleared her throat, "All right Sam. We'll figure this out."

Sam looked at her and smiled, "How?"

"Research?" Elena tried.

"Research?"

"Yeah, let's get to it." Elena jumped up and motioned for Sam to follow her.

OoOoOo

Elena sat beside Sam at a table in the bunker, reading some news articles. It was funny how often they were actually researching as opposed to out hunting. Sam sighed, Elena gently patted Sam's back.

"Come on, we're just getting started." Elena tried to lighten the mood.

Dean came in the room and gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Any word from Cas?" Sam asked, glancing up.  
"Nothing yet." Dean responded quickly.

"And we're not ... worried about him, that he just took off like that again? I mean, it's not like he does this kind of stuff alone." Sam explained. Elena was not sure how much longer Dean could keep this from Sam. It was starting to negatively effect the both of them.

"It's the way he wanted it, honestly." Dean stated.

Sam looked unconvinced. Elena stayed out of this one and kept reading. If she told Sam the truth it would cause more issues. But, she hated keeping secrets.

"Hey, look, man, he's been all over the map since he got his wings clipped," Dean paused and changed the subject, "What do you got?"

Dean moved over to stand between Sam and Elena. He looked over Sam's shoulder, "Obituaries. That one of the bikers?" Dean placed his hand on Elena's back, but Sam didn't notice.

"Yeah. His name was Red Dawg." Sam responded.

"Heh. Of course it was."

"It's not what you think. Look, he's a family guy. Big in the PTA, he played Santa at Christmas parties." Sam explained.

"So, what? Just one day, he up and joined a biker gang?"

Sam shook his head, "No, he did that years ago. Get this. This is weird. Look." Sam pulled up some news clipping and photos on his laptop. "These are all the victims, right? They were baptized together."

"They were all baptized?" Elena asked.

"Yeah. They were a born-again biker gang." Sam stated.

"Well, that is not something you hear every day." Dean muttered.

"No, it's not." Elena agreed.

Dean studied the photo, "Wait make that bigger."

Sam enlarged the photo of the bikers and a logo on one of the bikers jackets became visible. ""Boyle's Boys"? Boyle, as in reverend Buddy Boyle?" Dean scoffed.

Sam leant forwards and began to click and press buttons on the laptop. Elena watched in fascination.

Sam shook his head and said, "Listen to this. Red Dawg's widow said he was always religious, but a week before he died, he came home from a prayer meeting and was a changed man filled with divine glory."

"So, Boyle's at it again. Selling folks on being meat suits for angels." Dean crossed his arms across his chest.

"Just what – talking to smaller groups now?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Maybe, uh, softening up thousands at a time, he wasn't able to control what angels got let in. This way, Bartholomew's followers can jump in just as soon as Boyle does his thing."

"So, Red Dawg and his guys were Bartholomew's people?" Elena connected the dots.

Dean looked at her, "Yeah, and they got slaughtered. Which means that this new group is even worse," he paused, "Haven't I always said that angels are dicks?"

Sam laughed and stood up, "Well I'm gonna take a break from all of this."

"Good plan." Elena muttered.

Sam left the room and left Dean and Elena alone. Elena stood and sat on the table, facing Dean. She looked at him expectantly. They hadn't really talked since last night. Elena had been bothered about leaving Castiel again and she was not in the mood to argue. Now, she felt calm enough to talk about it.

"We need to talk." Elena began.

"Alright." Dean moved closer to her.

"Sam came and talked to me this morning. I feel like I'm lying to him. I am lying to him." Elena spoke earnestly.

Dean looked away at the guilt he felt.

"And then leaving Castiel again. I mean how long is it going to take Ezekiel to heal him. It's been a long time." Elena felt her frustration fueling the words she spoke to Dean.

"What the hell do you want me to do Elena? I can't control how long it takes. He was a mess after the trials and there's a lot to heal." Dean tried to explain, but his voice was raised. Elena hadn't felt tension with Dean since she first joined them.

The suspicion Elena felt only heightened, "Ezekiel has never spoken to me."

"So?"

"So? So don't you think it's a little strange that Ezekiel only speaks to you." Elena pressed.

Dean stayed quiet, processing everything he was hearing. He was not sure how much more of this he could take. Elena was not trying to argue, but she felt like this was necessary.

"I don't know Elena." Dean looked up at her.

"I don't like the lying."

"I don't either."

"Then we need to figure this out. Now." Elena stated.

OoOoOo

"Trouble in paradise?" Kevin asked. Elena was sitting on the countertop picking at her lunch. After her talk with Dean she needed some space. They had reached no conclusion about what to do about Ezekiel.

"Kevin…"

"I mean can't you just at least admit that you and Dean are more than friends?" Kevin glanced up at her.

Elena leveled his gaze. "Okay, we're more than friends."

Kevin smiled triumphantly, "Thought so."

"It's the first time I've said that out loud," Elena laughed softly.

Dean walked into the kitchen. He and Elena looked at each other, their facial expression not changing. Kevin stared between the two of them.

"Awkward." He whispered to no one in particular.  
"Hey. You seen Sam?" Dean asked Kevin.

Kevin put some of his condiments back in the refrigerator, "He went out." "Where?" Dean asked again.

"I don't know. You guys notice he's doing that a lot?" Kevin invited Elena into the conversation.

"Yeah." Dean responded thoughtfully. Kevin shrugged and walked out of the room. Elena felt anxious.

Dean started to say something but his phone rang, "Yeah?" He answered briskly.

"Castiel?" Dean asked.

Elena jumped off the counter and came to stand beside Dean so she could hear. "Dean, I don't have a lot of time, so listen. The leader of the opposition is an angel named Malachi." Castiel spoke hurriedly.

"How do you know that?" Dean asked.

"He had me. I, uh, I was tortured. But I got away." Castiel explained. Elena covered her mouth with her hands. As a human, Castiel was probably more injured than Elena would like to think.

"How?" Dean demanded.

"I... I did what I had to. I became what they've become. A barbarian."

"What are you – Cas, where are you?" Dean ordered.

"It's better I stay away. They're gonna want me even more now. But I'm gonna be all right. I... I got my Grace back. Well, not mine per se, but it'll do." Castiel told him. Elena looked at Dean. Castiel was back?

"Wait, you're – you're back? You got your mojo?"  
"I'm not sure. But I am an angel."  
"And you're okay with that?" Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"If we're going to war, I need to be ready."  
"Oh Cas." Elena murmured.

"There's more." Castiel spoke.

"What?"

"Didn't you say Sam was healed by an angel named Ezekiel?" Castiel asked. Elena listened closely.

"Uh... Yeah, why?"

"Ezekiel is dead." Castiel told them.

"What?" Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"He died when the angels fell."

Dean ended the phone call and gathered his thoughts. Dean didn't say a word as he walked out of the kitchen. Elena bit her lip and followed him out.

"Dean?" She called after him.

Kevin was dozing over a book as Dean and Elena approached him.

"I need a spell. ASAP." Dean spoke urgently.

Kevin sat up instantly and cleared his eyes, "Everyone always needs a spell and it's always ASAP."  
"All right, listen to me. An angel can't be expelled by another human. Okay, only by the host, right? But, what if there was a way to power down the angel, so that it wasn't in charge for a few seconds?" Dean was rushing.

"What?" Kevin was clearly confused.

"For instance, if – if hypothetically, I wanted to speak with the vessel but not have the squatter listen in." Dean tried to explain again.

"Why?" Kevin stared.

Why? Kevin, we've got tons of possessed humans out there. You with me? And when the angels kill each other off, the humans are taking it in the teeth. So what if I wanted to clue the human in so that he, or she, could spit the angel out? That would be a good thing, right?" Dean didn't tell Kevin the whole truth.

"Uh ... yeah?" Kevin responded.

"Okay. So, hit the tablet. Let's go!"  
"Now?" Kevin asked with disbelief.

"Yesterday!" Dean yelled a he walked out of the room.

Elena stared at Kevin, "Thank you. Can I help?"

Kevin sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Since she had joined the Winchesters everything was tense and the times that they weren't were rare. If she hadn't seen Dean's memories she wouldn't believe there were times when they weren't all stressed or trying to save someone.

"Thanks Elena, but it might be faster if I just do it." He looked at her apologetically.

Elena nodded and smiled, "Okay. Good luck."

OoOoOo

"You think this will work?" Elena asked.

Kevin nodded, "The sigils are supposed to briefly hobble the possessing angel. If the info's correct." They had just painted the sigils Kevin had researched onto the walls of the bunker.

Dean examined the red sigils on the door, "Wait, what?"

I only had time to get a little from the tablet. The rest came from an old Men of Letters book. As soon as your blood touches the ignition sigil, the spell kicks in." Kevin looked at Dean, "What's going on?"

"I told you."

"You told me theoretically. Dean, we just painted sigils in the storeroom. What the hell?" He looked at Elena for answers.

"Kevin, just…just wait." Elena said.

"You're gonna have to trust me, okay, trust that I told you everything that I can for now. Can you do that?" Dean asked.

"I always trust you." Kevin said. Dean nodded in response. "And I always end up screwed."

"Oh, come on. Always? Not always." Dean countered.

Kevin gave a slight smile, "Good luck with whatever you're doing then." Kevin left the room.

"I hope this works." Elena said.

Dean nodded. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Listen Elena, about earlier…I'm sorry."

Elena nodded, "It's okay."

"No it's not."

"Dean," Elena moved closer to him, "I just want things to be different."

"Like what?"

"I would want Sam to be healed and angel free. I want Kevin to have a normal life. I want you to quit being burdened by all of this." Elena bit her lip.

Dean studied her, "What about you?"

"What about me?" Elena asked.

"What do you want for you?"

Elena hesitated, "I want to feel like I'm helping you and Sam. That I'm not just here."

Dean scoffed, "Elena if you weren't here…It's good that you are here. You help more than you know."

Elena didn't know what to say. Dean's strong suit was not emotional discussion, but Elena knew that he meant more than what he said.

Dean cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Elena put her hands on his chest, "I'm going to stay with Kevin while you deal with Sam. If you need anything, come okay?" Elena murmured.

Dean nodded.

OoOoOo

It all happened so fast. Kevin lay on the floor, his eyes burned from his head. Elena stood, her body unmoving. Sam stood before her, but it wasn't Sam. Her heart thudded in her chest. Was Dean all right? She stared up at Sam in horror. Tears lined her eyes. Kevin had been her friend and now he was gone.

Dean ran in just as Kevin's body dropped to the floor. "No, no! Kevin, no!" Dean yelled. Sam extended his arm and Dean went flying towards the wall. He held Dean in place and focused his gaze on Elena.

Sam moved calmly towards her and put his hands on her face in the exact spot Dean had earlier. He stared at her and Elena couldn't break his gaze. She could tell by his demeanor that it was not Sam, but she did not feel like she was in danger.

"What did you do?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Elena, I will not hurt you."

"Why not?" Her voice cracked.

"Sam?" Dean interjected, hoping that he would distract him or somehow be able to reach him. He wanted to distract him from Elena.

Sam turned to face Dean, "There is no more Sam. But, I played him convincingly I thought"

"How did you…"

Sam cut him off, "I heard you talk with Kevin Tran tonight Alter a sigil... even the slightest... Alter the spell." Sam began to pack a bag, but held up his hands to show some of the dust markings from the sigil. Dean gasped in pain.

Elena leant down besides Kevin and put her hand on his arm. She couldn't believe he had just been killed before her eyes.  
"Sorry about Kevin, but ultimately ... it's for the best. I did what I had to." Sam placed a yellow card with Kevin's name on it on his chest. He looked over at Elena who had begun to cry.

"Don't cry Elena." Sam murmured.

Without another word, Sam slung a bag over his shoulder and walked out of the bunker. Dean sunk to the floor and stared at Kevin's body. How had this happened? He couldn't accept it.

"Kevin…Kevin." Dean wished he would respond.

Elena wiped her eyes and looked up at Dean.

"He's gone."

**Thanks for reading! I've already started on the next chapter! I'm so happy that this story has received so many favorites and followers, but reviews are always excellent motivation to write ;) Also, as I've written in other chapters, it's been said that Elena is more than an ordinary human, any guesses as to what I am referring to? **

**In the next chapter issues arise in Mystic Falls…**


	8. I Will Rescue You

**Authors Note: Hey all, sorry for the delay! I appreciate all the follows/favorites. I just want to say that I'm not going to abandon this story even if it does take me awhile to update. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading it, but any reviews are always a good motivation to update a little quicker :) Happy reading!**

They had given Kevin a hunter's funeral. The flames had engulfed Kevin and his body began to disappear. Dean had been fairly quiet since he saw Kevin's lifeless body on the floor of the bunker, but Elena hadn't expected anything else. She was having trouble fathoming that Kevin was really gone and that Sam was nowhere to be found.

They lay in bed now, waiting for the morning. Being in the bunker felt wrong and empty without Sam and Kevin. Their minds were on little else besides where Sam had gone and who was the angel inside of him.

Elena put her hand on Dean's chest, "We'll leave in the morning?"

Dean nodded. In the darkness, Elena could only see the outline of Dean's face as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He knew he would not be able to sleep and Elena knew she wouldn't be able to either.

Elena's thoughts couldn't stop. She would never sit with Kevin and talk again or laugh with him again. His death was so sudden and unexpected and it hurt like hell. She was worried about Sam. And Dean was already withdrawing from her. The exhaustion overwhelmed her.

She hadn't realized that she was starting to cry. Dean whispered, "Come here." And pulled her onto his chest. He rubbed her back slowly, trying to calm her down. He knew then and there his feelings for Elena were stronger than he had ever anticipated they would be. If she weren't there he would be a mess, completely broken. He needed her more than he was ready to admit.

"I'm sorry Dean." Elena whispered.

Dean kissed the top of her head, "Don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just stood there when it happened." Elena said.

Dean bit his lip and let out a heavy breath, "There was nothing you could have done."

Elena paused. Maybe he was right, maybe he wasn't. When Sam had entered the room she had not realized something was wrong until it was too late. And now all she was left with was a heavy heart and memories of Kevin.

"He asked about me and you a lot." Elena offered a small smile.

Dean looked down at her, "He did?"

"I told him about us," Elena hesitated.

Dean hadn't really come to terms with his and Elena's relationship. He didn't understand it, but he thought whatever was between them was beyond his comprehension anyway.

"Really?" Dean murmured.

Elena nodded, "Yeah…he made me not want to hide it."

Dean kept his arms tightly around her. He couldn't find the words he wanted to say. He didn't really feel like hiding anything anymore either. It was too exhausting on top of everything else. Elena sniffled and wiped her eyes. Dean closed his eyes, "Close your eyes Elena. Try and sleep."

Elena nodded against him and tried to.

OoOoOo

Elena handed Dean weapons as he loaded them into the worn duffel bag. She felt mentally exhausted and emotionally fatigued. She had woken up an hour before Dean and took a long shower. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was dressed in one of Dean's flannels and jeans.

They hadn't cleaned anything up from yesterday, aside from moving Kevin's body. All of his books and papers were still in the same exact place. Even his lunch from yesterday was in the same spot. There was a broken lamp and chair across the room. Elena wasn't even sure how that had happened.

"Dean, Elena." Castiel stood before the both of them. Elena stopped what she was doing and stared. He looked like himself. She had temporarily forgotten he had gotten his grace back.

"Now, look at you, all suited up and back in the game." Dean said as he looked at the angel.

"I, um... I came as soon as you called. I wa-," Castiel paused and looked around the room. He noticed the destruction and felt the sadness stemming from Dean and Elena, "What happened? What's wrong?'

Dean sighed.

Elena cleared her throat, "I'll go brew some coffee." She left the room and Dean and Castiel followed.

It was going to be a long morning.

OoOoOo

Dean explained everything and Castiel just listened in silence. "Sammy was dying. What was I supposed to do?"

Castiel nodded, "You let an angel possess him?"

"He said it was the only way, and I believed him. Now Sam's gone. Kevin's..." Elena took a drink. She stood behind Dean and put her hands on his shoulders. Castiel observed the two of them.

"Dean, I'm sorry." Castiel spoke honestly.

"Yeah, well... Sorry don't pay the bills, does it? It sure as hell ain't gonna bring Kevin back. We got to find that son of a bitch." Dean said angrily.

"Dean. If the angel possessing Sam isn't Ezekiel, then who is it?"

"We don't know yet." Elena answered.

"A dead man walking." Dean commented.

"What, you're gonna destroy him?" Castiel asked.

"Damn right." Dean answered.

"You kill an angel, its vessel dies, too." Castiel reminded him. Elena ran her hands through her hair and let out a breath. She felt like she had aged years over night. How were they going to solve this?

"Think I don't know that? If I don't end Sam and that halo burns him out and I...God, I was so damn stupid."

"Dean, stop." Elena whispered.

"You were stupid for the right reasons." Castiel said.

"Yeah, like that matters." Dean retorted.

"It does. Sometimes that's all that matters," Castiel paused, "Listen to me. Sam is strong. If he knew an angel was possessing him, he could fight. He could cast the angel out."

"Maybe. But as far as I know, he's in the dark. I don't know how we clue him in." Dean shook his head.

"Do you remember Alfie?"

"The kid angel? Yeah. Why?" Dean couldn't see the relevance.

"Before he died, he told me the demons were able to dig into his mind, access his coding. We might be able to do that here. Might be able to - to bypass the angel and talk directly to Sam." Castiel explained.

"Do you think this would work?" Elena asked.

"I don't know, but I think we should try." Castiel suggested.

"Okay. Um, where do we start?" Dean asked.

Elena bit her lip, "I know."

OoOoOo

Elena hated the look on Crowley's face. He looked arrogant as he smirked at the three of them. The three of them stood before the demon. Elena hadn't seen Crowley since asking about her doppelganger, but she was not a fan.

"Hello, boys," he eyed Elena, "And girl." Elena glared at him.

"Here's the deal - you're gonna tell us how to hack an angel, and I'm gonna give you some of the good stuff," Dean held up a syringe of blood, "Human blood, fresh from the tap. Word is your jonesing for it." He patted his arm to let Crowley know it was his blood.

Crowley shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Please, I'll pass."

"Crowley, we aren't here to play games. What do you want then?"

"Well, for starters... A massage. Between the sitting and the shackles, a body gets a little stiff."

"Yeah, I ain't rubbing you." Dean shook his head.

Crowley chuckled, "God, no. Get Kevin. His tiny fists can really work wonder—"

Castiel cut in, "Kevin is dead."

Crowley made a face and Elena couldn't believe his sincerity. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Castiel harshly reprimanded him, "Don't pretend you care. You tried to kill him."

"I told him this was gonna happen. I was the only person who tried to warn him. I told him to run." Crowley explained.

"Run from what?" Dean asked.

Crowley leveled his stare at Dean, "You."

Dean clenched his jaw.

"How many times am I gonna have to say this? People in your general vicinity don't have much in the way of a life-span," he glanced at Elena, "You should leave while you can my dear Elena. It would be a shame if something happened to you."

"I'll take my chances." Elena bit out.

Crowley's eyes tinkled, "I bet you would. Funny, what women do for love."

There was a terse silence in the room. Dean kept his eyes on Crowley.

"Now, I can't teach you how to crack open an angel. It's more... art than science. But I can do it for you. All I ask in return is a little field trip. Dying for some fresh air. Chains on, naturally." Crowley raddled his chains.

Dean shook his head, "No."

"No? Of course not. Because if I'm plan "A," I'm sure you have a totally viable, much better plan "B.""

Castiel pulled Dean and Elena aside. Elena looked past Dean to watch Crowley. He observed the three of them.

"You can't be considering this." Castiel whispered.

"With the chains on, he can't do anything." Dean reasoned.

"It's Crowley. He can always do something." Castiel countered.

"Looks like we need a tiebreaker. Go get moose, squirrel." Crowley joked. Dean clenched his jaw, but his facial expression gave him away.

Realization dawned on Crowley, "Unless... Unless, of course, you can't. That's why you're here, isn't it? The poor giant baby's in trouble again, isn't he?"

Dean stared at the demon, "Are you done?"

"Depends. Do we have a deal?" Crowley returned his gaze.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

Crowley smiled, "Excellent. When do we leave?"

"Soon as I can scrounge up a ride." Dean muttered.

Castiel leaned in and said, "Well, I have a vehicle. It stopped a few miles from here, inexplicably."

Elena raised her eyebrows.

This day was not going how she expected it to at all.

OoOoOo

They had driven to meet with one of Crowley's associates. Dean, Castiel, and Elena sat in the lobby of what looked like a financial office. She felt under dressed and out of place. But, if this is what it took to get Sam back she was willing to do whatever she could.

"Your source is in here?" Dean asked skeptically.

Crowley nodded, "And she can track anything you need, even our little lost Samantha."

"How?" Elena asked, not completely trusting Crowley.

"Well, this place isn't really...this. It's a front for an N.S.A. listening post." Crowley gave a brief explanation.

"What are they listening for?" Castiel questioned.

"Everything. The U.S. government is quite the voyeur these days. So I planted one of my best and let her go to work."

"Looking for terrorists?" Castiel seemed confused. Elena shook her head and glanced away. Now was not the time for inappropriate laughter.

"Looking for marks, slow boat." Crowley rolled his eyes.

Two security guards approached and motioned towards Crowley. "Mr. Crowley? She'll see you now." One of the guards said. The rest of the group stood to follow him in, but one of the guards raised their hands.

"Just Mr. Crowley."

Castiel glared at the demon, "I'll be listening to every word you say."

"Promise?" Crowley winked and followed the guards into the office.

Elena sighed and sat back down. She rested her head on Castiel's shoulder as they waited. She shut her eyes for a moment and imagined that they were anywhere but where they actually were. At least Castiel was back to his usual self, which had to count for something.

Elena slowly opened her eyes and saw that Dean was watching her. She held his gaze, wondering what he was thinking. She sat up and let out a heavy sigh.

"Hear anything?" Dean asked.

"No. The room Crowley's in has been warded." Castiel sounded glum.

"Awesome. That's friggin' awesome." Dean rolled his eyes.

Castiel shrugged and turned his attentions towards Elena. "Are you alright?" Castiel asked.

Elena nodded, "I'll be right back. Going to the restroom."

Castiel nodded as she walked away. "You watch her very closely." Castiel noted.

"Thanks for pointing that out." Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel.

"It is good to be protective over her. She is the same towards you." Castiel spoke serenely.

"Look Cas, I appreciate all of your support but I can't focus on this right now."

Castiel nodded, "You need to take care of her."

"Damn it Cas, I'm trying."

"Because your love for her."

Elena walked back and sat beside Dean. Dean kept his eyes on Castiel. He couldn't focus on his feelings for Elena, the feelings he was not even supposed to have. She had been different from the beginning from any girl he had met. He was protective over her, sure, but he was able to be vulnerable with her as well. There was no need to put up walls or shut her out.

"Dean?" Elena shook him.

"Huh, what?"

"I asked if Crowley had come out yet." She stared at him, her eyebrow raised. Dean awkwardly smiled and shook his head.

Crowley strolled into the lobby with a manila folder. He handed it to Dean. Dean opened the folder and looked at the images. Elena saw the Impala driving through an intersection.

"Your phallus on wheels just ran a red light in Somerset, Pennsylvania, 10 minutes ago." Crowley announced smugly.

Dean stood, "Let's go."

"The amigos ride again." Crowley chuckled.

"He's not my amigo." Castiel said seriously.

"Yeah, me either buddy." Elena followed the group out.

OoOoOo

They had found Sam just after he had killed one of the fallen angels. He was tied to a chair, his gaze completely intent on the four of them. Elena hoped that their plan was going to work.

"Welcome to the party, pal. Cas, how we lookin'?" Dean asked.

"Most of Sam's internal burns have healed. I should be able to fix the rest.

What's your name? I thought I knew every angel in heaven, but I've never seen you." Castiel studied Sam while he waited for a response.

"Why would I tell you anything?" Sam responded.

"Well, I don't give a damn who you are. You need to get out - now!" Dean yelled.

"And if I don't?"

"Then you and I will have a lovely little playdate." Crowley cut in.

"Even bound, I can rip this body apart. Tell them, Castiel."

Dean stared and pointed at Sam, "You do, you die."

"You want this to end? Go ahead. Put a blade through your brother's heart.

If it makes you feel better, I have Sam locked away in a dream. As far as he knows, the two of you are working a case right now - something with ghouls and cheerleaders."

"Why are you doing this, huh? We fought together. And I trusted you. I thought you were one of the good guys!"

"I am doing what I have to do."

"Well, so am I."

Crowley grabbed a large needle from a stainless steel trey and moved towards Sam. Elena flinched and looked away and as Crowley stuck the needle into Sam's temple. Sam screamed in pain. Elena knew it wasn't really Sam, but it was hard to remember that. Dean's face hardened as Crowley began to push more needles into Sam's forehead and face. Sam's screams and groans began to take its toll on Dean and that began to cause Elena discomfort. Dean rubbed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Dean glanced at his watch and walked out of the room. Castiel went to follow Dean, but Elena stopped him.

"Hey, just give me a few minutes." She murmured. She had felt Dean withdrawing from her all day, but his sadness and pain was hurting her. She needed to comfort him.

"Hey." Elena said as soon as soon as she caught up to him.

"I can't watch that anymore." Dean shook his head. Elena could see tears brimming his eyes.

"I know. It's not Sam…but it is." Elena murmured.

Dean's voice cracked, "Pretty much, yeah. How are you doing?"

Elena bit her lip realizing that Dean wanted to focus on anything aside from what was happening to Sam.

"I'm a little tired today."

Dean wiped his face, "Yeah, uh yeah me too."

"Dean, come here." Elena murmured. Dean hesitated but moved towards her. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed his back. Dean rested his head into the crook of her neck. His breath warm against her skin and she could feel the wetness from his tears.

"This is helping Sam, it's going to save him. I promise." Elena whispered to him. She kissed him gently on the cheek.

Castiel moved down the hallway and towards Elena and Dean. He saw the way that Elena provided comfort for Dean. He could see their bond was growing. Elena held Dean's hand and pulled away from Dean as Castiel approached.

"Cas…hey man. So, what, you just change the batteries out, power back up? It's that easy?" Dean tried to deflect the conversation from himself or Elena.

Castiel nodded, "It wasn't easy, but I didn't have a choice."

"Yeah. Well, that's usually how it goes." Dean muttered and cleared his throat, "Cas... I'm sorry."

Castiel looked confused, "About what?"

"Kickin' you out of the bunker. That's, uh... You know, not telling you about Sam." Dean struggled through his apology.

"You thought his life was at stake." Castiel responded.

Dean scoffed, "Yeah, I got played."

"I thought I was saving Heaven. I got played, too." Castiel admitted.

Elena rubbed circles on the back of Dean's hand, "So you're sayin' we're both a couple of dumbasses?" Dean attempted to smile.

"I prefer the word "trusting." Less dumb. Less ass." Castiel shrugged.

Elena laughed.

"Laverne! Shirley! Get in here!" Crowley yelled from the other room. Dean rushed back into the room. Elena followed with Castiel by her side. Crowley stood beside Sam who appeared to be unconscious.

"Pinhead's out cold, but watch this." Crowley said as he stuck two needles into Sam's temple. He began to speak Enochian.

"What's he saying?" Elena asked.

"His name. Gadreel." Castiel responded.

"Does that mean something to you?" Deana sked.

"Well, it's why I've never seen him. He's been imprisoned since the dawn of time. Gadreel was the sentry who allowed Lucifer into the garden." Castiel explained.

"My, my. A celebrity." Crowley rubbed his hands together.

"Wait, the garden? Like eden? Adam and Eve? Fig-leaves garden?" Dean couldn't believe it.

"It's his fault - all of it. The corruption of man, demons, hell. God left because of him. The archangels -the apocalypse. If he hadn't been so weak, none of it would have happened."

Castiel became furious and faced Gadreel. Elena had never seen the angel so angry. He shook Sam's body, "You ruined the universe, you damn son of a bitch!" Elena stepped forward and grabbed Castiel. He swung around to face him.

"Cas, hey. It's okay." Elena whispered.

Castiel's demeanor changed. "Elena he-"

"I know, but you need to stay calm. Okay?" Elena whispered. Castiel nodded and stepped aside. Dean had watched the interaction between Elena and Castiel closely. She was able to calm them down almost instantly.

Crowley continued to push needles into Gadreel while Dean looked on.

"What's taking so long?" Dean asked

Crowley glared, "Other than the fact that I'm trying to unravel a living, multidimensional knot of pure energy, not much."

Gadreel let out a gasp and his eyes shot open. Elena felt her heart leap, thinking it would be Sam. Dean appeared to think the same thing.

"It won't work. You will never find your brother. Go ahead. Poke and prod. I can sit in this chair for years and watch you fail over and over again. I've endured much worse than this, Dean. So...much...worse. And I have all the time in the world." Gadreel told him.

"Shut up! All right. Plan "B." Cas, you got to possess him." Dean stared at the angel. Elena was completely surprised. They hadn't talked about this at all.

"What?" Castiel asked.

Dean stared, "Do it now! Get in there, tell Sam what's going on, and help him kick that lying son of a bitch out!"

"It might work. But I can't possess a vessel without permission."

Crowley cleared his throat and raised his hand.

"No. Not happening." Dean bit out.

Elena stood beside Dean, "Dean…listen to him." Dean glanced at Elena.

Crowley smiled, "Smart girl. Dean, don't be daft. Demons can take what they want. I can burrow into that rat's nest of a head. I can wake Sam up. Just call me plan "C.""

Castiel tried to interject, but Dean held up his hand. "What about the angel?"

"I'll work fast." Crowley responded.

"And if he finds you?" Dean asked.

"I'll run. I'm not dying for you lot. Of course, if I do this, you're gonna have to..."

Dean nodded, "Take off the leash. Yeah, I know."

"And it stays off. I save Sam, I leave here a free man. Do we have a deal?" Crowley stated.

Dean thought it over and turned to Castiel, "Cas, burn off Sam's tattoo."

"Dean." Castiel tried to step in.

"Do it. Do it." Dean did not hesitate.

Castiel's mouth was set in a grim line. He walked over to Gadreel and pulled his shirt collar down. Elena saw the tattoo on his chest and then the blaze of light that came as Castiel removed the tattoo.

Dean stood in front of Sam and faced Crowley, "If you mess with Sam, if you try anything –"

Crowley rolled his eyes, "I keep my bargains. Besides, I don't want to be inside your brother any longer than I have to. I'm not one for sloppy seconds."

Dean nodded, "When you find him, say "Poughkeepsie." It's our go word. It means "drop everything and run.""

Crowley responded, "Fine. While I'm gone, hands off the suit."

Gadreel glared at Crowley, "I will destroy you."

Crowley smirked, "Eat me."

Crowley sat across from Gadreel. Then there was a cloud of red smoke that shot out of Crowley's mouth and into Gadreels.

Elena sat beside Sam's body and waited, her head in her hands. Dean was pacing back and forth.

"A demon and an angel walk into my brother. Sounds like a bad joke." Dean muttered.

"It is a bad joke." Elena whispered.

Castiel shook his head, "If this doesn't work.."

Dean cut him off, "It'll work."

Elena held Sam's hand and squeezed it. She felt physically and mentally drained. Castiel watched her closely.

"Elena, how are you feeling?" Castiel asked.

Elena glanced up and shrugged, "I'm fine." Dean watched the exchange.

"You need to rest."

Elena laughed, "There's not really time for that. After we help Sam I can."

Castiel smiled, "You have made me very proud."

Elena shook her head, "Cas, I haven't done anything."

"You have. Just like you were meant to." Castiel spoke softly. Dean clenched his jaw. He wondered when Castiel would share more information about Elena and why she was there. Not that the answer mattered anymore, Dean couldn't imagine her not being there.

Before anything else could be said white smoke left Sam's body. The three of them dodged the bright light. Following the white light, the red smoke flew out of Sam's mouth and into Crowley's body. Sam began to gasp as he regained consciousness.

"Sam! Sammy?" Dean yelled.

Castiel began to remove the needles from Sam's head. "Sam, are you okay?"

Sam stared at Castiel completely confused. "Cas?"

Dean and Elena were working to un-cuff Sam. Headlights flashed in the window. Castiel moved to look out the window. He frowned.

"It's Abaddon."

Crowley nodded, "Go. The back door. I'll handle this."

Elena was helping Sam to his feet.

"Oh, 'cause you're such a good guy?" Dean didn't trust him.

Crowley nodded, "Right now, I'm the goodest guy you got."

Dean stared, "This doesn't make us square. I see you again…"

Crowley rolled his eyes, "I'm dead. Yes, I know. I love you too."

"Dean, help me." Elena murmured. They brought Sam to his feet and began to carry him out of the warehouse.

OoOoOo

The four of them had moved to a dock away from the warehouse. It had begun to rain. Elena knelt down beside Castiel as began to heal wounds from the needles. Sam was unsteady. Elena kept her hand on Sam's back.

"You feel better?" Castiel asked.

Sam nodded, "A little, yeah."

"It'll take time to fully heal you. We'll have to do it in stages." Castiel explained. Sam nodded. He glanced up at Dean, who was approaching cautiously. Castiel walked away. Elena stepped back, but stayed closer.

"All right. Let me hear it." Dean looked at his brother.

"What you do want me to say - that I'm pissed? Okay. I am. I'm pissed.

You lied to me. Again." Sam pointed out.

"I didn't have a choice." Dean ground out.

Sam's emotions got the bet of him, "I was ready to die, Dean!"

"I know. But I wouldn't let you, because that's not in me."

Sam scoffed, "So, what? You decide to trick me into being possessed by some... psycho angel?"

Dean clenched his jaw, "He saved your life."

"So what? I was willing to die," Sam paused, "And now…Kevin…What if I would have done something to Elena?" Tears began to rim his eyes. Elena crossed her arms over her chest and looked away. There was not much she could say.

"No. That is not on you. Kevin's blood is on my hands, and that ain't ever getting clean. I'll burn for that. I will. But I'll find Gadreel. And I will end that son of a bitch.

But I'll do it alone." Dean bit out. Elena looked at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.

"Come on, man. Can't you see? I'm... I'm poison, Sam. People get close to me, they get killed...or worse. You know, I tell myself that I-I - I help more people than I hurt. And I tell myself that I'm - I'm doing it all for the right reasons, and I - I believe that. But I can't - I won't... Drag anybody through the muck with me. Not anymore." Dean struggled through his words. He stared at his brother almost pleadingly.

Elena felt paralyzed, her chest constricted. It was as if she could feel Dean's emotions for herself. She felt his anger and guilt. It was consuming her. She felt her breathing hasten.

Sam shook his head, "Go. I'm not gonna stop you."

Dean's face fell. He glanced at Elena and Castiel, then turned to walk away.

"But don't go thinking that's the problem, 'cause it's not." Sam said.

Dean didn't turn around, but said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sam shook his head, "Just go."

Castiel stared at Elena, his eyes widening. "Elena?" He murmured.

She snapped her head to him, "Cas, what's happening to me?"

She looked up to see Dean getting further from them. She wanted to stay with Sam and Cas, but she couldn't leave Dean. Then he really would be alone.

Elena couldn't wait for a response from Castiel.

"I'm sorry. I have to go with him." She said to Sam and the angel. They both nodded in response.

Elena ran to catch up with Dean. They both got into the car simultaneously and Dean sped off. Elena's mind was in overdrive. Her body was tingling and her heart was racing. They sat in complete silence. There was not much to say. She was trying to understand what had just happened but there was no words that could.

Elena's phone rang and she immediately hoped it was Sam. She had seen before when the two of them separated from Dean's memories and she knew how hard it was on both of the brothers. Instead, it was Bonnie calling.

Elena sighed, "Hey Bonnie, now isn't really a good time." Her voice was shakier than she had expected it to be.

"It doesn't matter. You need to get to Mystic Falls as soon as possible."

"Bonnie…I can't." Elena responded sadly, feeling guilt gnaw at her.

Bonnie let out a sigh; "I know you've left your life here, but there's still things happening that you need to be here for."

"What's going on?" Elena felt weak.

Bonnie responded abruptly and aggressively, "Just get here."

Elena bit her lip and chanced a glance at Dean. His fingers grasped the steering wheel as he stared ahead, his mouth in a grim line.

"Alright, I'll talk to you soon." Elena ended the phone call.

She bit her lip, "Dean, we have to go to Mystic Falls." Her voice was quiet as she spoke.

Dean nodded in response, completely silent otherwise.

She hadn't expected it to be that easy.

OoOoOo

They had been driving for two hours in complete silence. Elena was overwhelmed by Dean's emotions. Since they had been standing on the dock she could just sense him. She wanted to turn it off.

"Dean?" Elena looked over at him.

"What?" He responded, his voice raspy.

"You had never told me any of that before, what you told Sam." Elena began.

Dean shook his head, "Elena, I don't have it in me right now to fight with you. I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you about this."

"No it's not that," she hesitated, "You didn't have to tell me any of it. I felt it…I still feel it."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I feel you. I can't explain it." Elena whispered.

Dean shook his head, "Well I'm gonna need you to try."

Elena threw her hands up, "I don't know Dean. I just feel you, like I can sense when you're near me and I can feel how you feel."

Dean sideways glanced at her, "Can you stop it?"

"I don't know."

"How long has this been happening?" Dean wouldn't be able to handle if she had kept something from him at this moment in time. He was already reeling enough from leaving Sam and now he was headed towards Mystic Falls, which was probably the last place he wanted to go.

"When you were talking to Sam it kind of hit me. But honestly, since we met I've always been, I don't know, in tune with you." Elena tried to find the words to explain something she knew nothing about.

"Great." Dean muttered.

"Well I mean, we all know I'm here for a reason. We just don't know exactly what it is." Elena whispered.

Dean glanced down at his watch, "We'll be in Mystic Falls in a few hours."

"Is this your way of shutting me up?" Elena felt angry.

"No. I just…I need to think." Dean murmured.

Elena clenched her jaw and looked out the window.

**Next stop is Mystic Falls, any ideas what's happening there? Thank you for reading!**


	9. Under Pressure

Elena sat in the front seat of the Impala and stared at the 'Welcome to Mystic Falls' sign that adorned the highway. She had asked Dean to pull over before they got into town. Thoughts ran rampantly through her mind and Dean's emotions were still weighing on her. She had not told Jeremy or Aunt Jenna that she was coming back. Instead, Elena and Bonnie had decided to meet on the outskirts of town.

Dean sat beside her quietly. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. He was anxious and he could tell by one glance that Elena was feeling the same. She stared out the window and bit her lip.

"You okay?" Dean asked her.

She shook her head, "Not really."

Dean nodded, "You aren't doing this alone. I'm here."

Elena clenched her jaw, "That silent car ride might suggest otherwise." She could still feel Dean even though she had been trying to focus on it less. She was sure that his feelings were beginning to influence hers.

Dean's face fell and he looked away from her. Elena sighed and put her hand on Dean's upper arm. "Dean, I'm sorry." She was exhausted from the night before, and now being back in Mystic Falls and not knowing what to expect was weighing down on her.

Before Dean could respond, Castiel appeared in the backseat. Elena gasped at the unexpected intrusion. Dean looked back and sighed, this was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Cas, what are you doing here?" Dean asked immediately, his voice edged with irritation.

"You're different." Castiel stared at Elena, completely ignoring Dean. She shifted under his scrutiny. She had noticed the way Castiel had looked at her on the dock before she left with Dean, however she did not expect to see the angel so soon.

"Happen to know anything about it?" Dean asked.

"This was meant to be," Castiel's gaze lingered on Elena, "It is one thing to know and then to see." The angel spoke cryptically.

"How do I turn this off?" Elena asked. Dean glanced at her. He could not explain why he was offended, but he felt a stab of rejection. Elena felt it and frowned.

Castiel shook his head, "You do not turn it off. You control it."

Elena felt frustrated, "Cas, please." Once she could control it, it would not be an issue. How long would that be? And was this a sign of what was to come? It felt strange having yet another personal tie to Dean. There were still things he did not know about her.

"You will learn Elena." Castiel sounded more confident than Elena felt.

Dean glanced back at the angel, "Sam…is he?" Dean trailed off.

"He is alright."

"Good." Dean spoke passively.

"There is much activity in Mystic Falls. You should not be here Elena." Castiel spoke.

"What kind of activity? We won't be here long." Elena murmured.

Castiel frowned, "There is other work to be done."

And then he was gone.

They sat quietly, both entrapped in their own thoughts. There was a pit in her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She focused on the steady rise and fall of her chest. Time passed as silence surrounded her, everything stopped except her breathing. The sound of a car door slamming snapped her out of her self-induced trance.

Elena's eyes snapped open. Bonnie's car was parked in front of the Impala. Dean sat beside her, steely and distant. Bonnie leant against the back of her car and offered Elena a small smile.

Elena put her hand on the door handle, but noticed that Dean had not moved an inch. Her heartbeat sped up when she realized that she could not feel Dean. There was a brief surge of panic. When would the connection come back? She could not tell if she was relieved or worried.

"Will you come with me?" Elena whispered.

Dean looked at Elena and nodded. She could tell he was maintaining his distance. But, Elena had put up her walls first.

"Hey." Elena smiled.

"Hey, hi Dean." Bonnie greeted politely.

"Bonnie." Dean nodded curtly.

"Thanks for coming." Bonnie turned her attention to Elena.

"It sounded urgent," Elena hesitated, "So what's going on?"

"Do you want bad or the worst?" Bonnie tried to lighten the mood, but it did not have the desired effect. Dean raised his eyebrow.

"Sorry, I just don't know where to start. A lot has happened." Bonnie murmured.

Elena was getting more anxious.

"Do you know what a doppelganger is?" Bonnie asked.

Elena stiffened, as did Dean. Dean did not realize he had moved closer to Elena. He felt defensive and his protective instincts kicked in.

"Is she here?" Dean asked.

Bonnie looked confused, her eyes flashing between Dean and Elena. "You knew?" Bonnie was disbelieving.

Elena nodded, "I did. It's complicated."

"Is she here?" Dean repeated gruffly.

Bonnie nodded, "Yes."

"Did something happen?" Elena asked, afraid of the answer.

"Not yet." Bonnie murmured.

Elena absorbed the information. Katherine was in Mystic Falls. It had to mean something. Elena could not help but be curious. Perhaps Katherine knew something that no one else did. Castiel was not sharing any information.

"Have you seen her?" Dean asked.

Bonnie nodded, "I saw her at the Grill last night. I thought it was you, then I realized it was not."

"Why did you think it was me?" Elena asked.

"I mean you two are identical. But then I saw her face change and I knew it wasn't you."

Elena nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

"Anything else?" She whispered.

Bonnie could not read Elena, but she continued, "I think that's why a vampire hunter showed up here."

"Vampire hunter?" Dean asked, making sure he heard correctly.

"Yeah, Alaric Saltzman. He's the history teacher at the high school now." Bonnie explained. Dean moved away from the two girls and grabbed his father's journals out of the Impala. He flipped through the worn pages, searching for the name. But nothing came up.

"Find anything?" Elena called.

Dean shook his head.

"What's he like?" Elena asked Bonnie.

Bonnie shrugged, "He looks out for Jeremy and he's kind of been dating your Aunt Jenna."

Elena tensed, "Why is he looking out for Jeremy?" She had no idea that Jenna was even dating anyone. But, was it really her place to disappointed. Elena had purposely put distance between herself and Mystic Falls.

Bonnie made a face and glanced between Elena and Dean. "They discovered Vicki's body. Jeremy was devastated." Bonnie explained.

Elena sighed and looked back at Dean. He kept his arms crossed. He felt defensive. He did not like that Katherine was in town and now realized that this was what Castiel was talking about. He felt the urge to leave, but he knew that all of this new information would push Elena to stay.

"I need to see him." Elena murmured.

Bonnie nodded, "Do you think you will tell him about everything?"

Elena shook her head, "I'm not sure."

Bonnie looked between Dean and Elena, "How long will you be in town?"

Elena shrugged, "I think I'm going to call Jenna and see if we can stay over there. Thanks Bonnie."

Bonnie smiled sadly and hugged Elena. Bonnie and Dean gave each other a head nod and then Bonnie was in her car, driving away. Elena pulled out her phone and dialed Jenna's number.

"Hey Elena." Jenna answered casually.

Elena was surprised that she had answered so nonchalantly, "Jenna, hey. Look I'm in town do you mind if I stay at the house tonight? Dean is with me too."

"Oh yeah that's totally fine." Jenna murmured.

Elena nodded slowly, "Okay, thanks."

"Yeah, see you soon?" Jenna asked.

"Yep." Elena answered. The call ended.

Dean stared at Elena, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. She just sounded weird." Elena muttered.

OoOoOo

Elena opened the front door of her childhood home and was welcomed by familiarity. She had changed so much, but this how was the same. After saying goodbye to Bonnie, Elena had called Jenna and said that she was in town. Jenna of course urged her to come stay at the house. Dean did not argue, but Elena could tell how tense he was.

"Aunt Jenna, Jeremy? I'm home!" Elena called.

She had expected Jeremy to come down the stairs and Jenna running down the hall with excitement and welcoming arms. Instead, Elena heard some clattering in the kitchen. She dropped her bag by the front door and walked towards the room. Dean followed suit.

"Missed you too." Elena smiled.

Jenna grinned and then flashed her eyes to Dean, "And you must be Dean?"

Elena opened her mouth and then closed it. Last time they had ran into Jenna, Ezekiel had knocked her out. Elena knew that her memories were fuzzy from that afternoon, but was not sure of the extent of it.

"Dean, this is my Aunt Jenna." Elena introduced.

Dean smiled and shook her hand. Jenna stared at him, not sure what to think. She gave him a tight-lipped smile, "Nice to meet you."

"You too." Dean responded politely.

Jenna looped her arm through Elena's and led her back to the kitchen. She leant down and whispered in Elena's ear, "He's so hot, but maybe a little too old for you." Elena blushed but grinned. She was not going to say too much about her and Dean.

Jenna moved over towards the coffee maker and poured herself a cup. Elena sat beside Dean and waited for Jenna to say something. Something felt beyond normal being back home, but Elena felt like that would happen anytime she was back here.

"So did you just get into town this morning?" Jenna pointedly asked Dean.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, drove all night."

"Saw Bonnie this morning" Elena mentioned.

Jenna perked up, "Oh yeah?"

Elena nodded, "Yeah, it was nice catching up. What about you? Anything new?"

Jenna shrugged, eyeing Elena, "Work mostly. But, I've been seeing someone."

Elena grinned, "I heard. Alaric, right?"

"Mhm, He's really great." Jenna blushed. Elena watched her as she took the last drink of her coffee. Jeremy and Elena had given her the mug last Christmas.

"You look happy." Elena spoke sincerely.

Jenna nodded, "I am," she glanced at Dean, "What about you two? What's the story?"

Elena raised her eyebrow and Dean cleared his throat. Jenna knew the bare minimum, that Elena was helping Dean. Elena interlocked her fingers.

"What do you mean?" Elena played dumb.

Jenna chuckled dryly and turned towards Dean, "Are you dating my niece?"

Dean did not date. He did not define relationships; he did not discuss his feelings. He was not the type to go home and meet parents. He was a hunter and never stayed in one place for too long.

And even knowing all of that, Dean nodded, "Yes."

Elena glanced at Dean then back to Jenna. She seemed just as surprised as Elena was. Jenna seemed impressed. She thought she had already pegged Dean, but perhaps she was wrong.

"Where's Jeremy?" Elena shifted the topic of conversation. She was amazed that Jeremy had not come downstairs as soon as Elena had gotten home.

Jenna shrugged, "He's been keeping his distance. After they found Vicki Donovan's body, he's been dealing with her death. They think it was an animal attack or something. I don't think he came home last night." Jenna spoke casually as if this was not news. It was obvious she assumed Elena already knew about Vicki's death becoming public.

"Jeremy must be a mess." Elena tried her best to keep up her façade.

"They aren't releasing cause of death. Caroline found her body during a storm." Jenna explained.

Elena sighed, "I can't believe this."

Jenna glanced at her watch, "Well Jeremy should be getting home soon. How long will you be in town?"

"Not sure yet." Elena smiled.

"Well Dean can use the guest room," she finished her coffee, "I'm running late so I have to get going."

"Bye." Elena slipped one arm behind her aunt as she kissed her goodbye. Elena walked over to the cabinet and grabbed an empty glass. She filled it with water as the front door came to a close. She was not sure why but she was thrown off guard by how unenthusiastic Jenna had been when she greeted her.

Dean finally relaxed and took a seat. Elena watched him and then gave him a glass of water, a grin stuck on her face. Dean took a drink and looked up at her. It was nice to see her smiling so brightly.

"So, we're dating now?" Elena teased.

"Shut up." Dean said in good humor.

"Did you think Jenna was acting strange?" Elena asked, genuinely curious to see what Dean would think.

"Aside from her interrogation of me, she seemed normal. I don't know her Elena." Dean answered honestly.

"I guess I just expected something different. I haven't seen her in months." Elena felt sadness envelope her. She knew she had made the right decision to leave with the Winchesters, but she was not particularly overjoyed by the shift in relationships with her family. Even though she had left, she loved her family just the same as before, if not more.

Dean saw the shift in her facial expression and covered her hand with his. Elena leant over the counter and kissed him gently. Dean rested his forehead against hers. By touching him, the flood of Dean's emotions returned. Elena could feel how tired he was. Elena cupped his face, feeling the scruff on his cheeks. His green eyes focused on her.

"Dean, you should sleep." Elena murmured.

Dean shook his head, "I'm okay."

Elena sighed, "I can feel how tired you are. You drove all night and you haven't had the easiest last couple days." She was trying to look out for. There was an innate feeling that she needed to take care of Dean. Someone had to.

"I'll be up soon." Elena smiled, sweetening the deal.

Dean nodded, "Alright."

He left Elena alone in the kitchen. She poured a bowl of cereal and ate quickly. Her mind remained absent of thoughts as she moved mechanically. She heard the bedroom door upstairs close and she sighed. She wished Jeremy were here so she could talk to him. She wanted to tell him everything. If he was going to discover the supernatural she wanted to be the one to inform him.

Elena pulled out her phone and called Jeremy. She was not surprised that it went straight to voicemail. She listened to Jeremy's unenthusiastic intro then left a quick message.

"Hey Jer, it's Elena, I'm back in Mystic Falls. I would like to see you, I'm at the house. Just give me a call back."

With that Elena made her way upstairs to finally sleep herself.

OoOoOo

Dean woke up to the weight of Elena beside him, her head on his chest, her arm lazily draped across his waist. He looked up at the ceiling, lying there quietly. A glance at the alarm clock let him know that he had slept for two hours. However, he did not feel well rested. His thoughts were still running rampant.

Sam was alive, no more angel possessing him. But their relationship was up in the air and Dean was not sure what was going to happen between them. Now being in Mystic Falls, with Katherine allegedly in town and a hunter he did not know of. The only constant was Elena. She stayed beside him no matter what thus far and he knew no matter what she would not leave. For some reason he was more sure of that than anything.

Elena slowly lifted her head and looked up at Dean. Her eyes were still heavy from sleep. Dean wondered how long she had lain there with him. She gave him a sleepy smile.

"Hey you." Elena murmured.

Dean smiled and yawned, pulling her closer to him. Dean stared down at her, "Elena, would you…whatever is happening between us, would you change it?" Dean struggled through his question.

Elena's hand cupped Dean's face. She stared into his eyes, her breathing even and steady.

"No Dean, I wouldn't change it. I wish I knew what it all meant and what was going to happen but, I wouldn't change you and I." Elena spoke honestly. Dean relaxed as his words washed over her.

"There's still a lot I don't know about you." Dean whispered.

Elena nodded, "I wish you knew everything, like I know everything about you."

Dean grinned, "I don't know if I want all of the details. Just most of them."

Elena playfully swatted his chest. There was a tap on the door interrupting them and Jeremy barged into the room. He saw Dean and Elena smiling, happy and it infuriated him. He glared at Dean and then at Elena.

"Welcome back." Jeremy spoke bitterly. He walked out of the room. Elena sighed and jumped out of the bed. She ran over to Jeremy's room.

"Jeremy, talk to me." Elena said, leaning against his closed bedroom door.

She stepped back quickly when Jeremy violently opened the door. He glared at her, his jaw set.

"Can I come in?"

Jeremy moved out of the way and Elena walked in. She felt relief that Jeremy was willing to at least hear her out.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked.

"Bonnie called me. I'm worried about you." Elena admitted.

Jeremy laughed, "Why? You think I can't handle Vicki's death?"

Elena shook her head, "It isn't that at all. I need to be honest with you, about everything." Elena held his eye contact. Jeremy scoffed. Elena watched as Jeremy moved over to his bed and lifted the mattress. Elena's eyes widened when she saw her journal in his hands. She had not written in it since she left with Sam and Dean, but there was enough written in it to fully expose what was really out there.

"You read it?" Elena whispered, trying not to feel angry at the intrusion on her private thoughts and fears. She thought about everything that was written in it, from her parent's death to meeting Stephan.

Jeremy nodded.

Elena extended her hand, "Give it back to me."

Jeremy handed it to her without argument. Elena held her once most prized possession. Jeremy seemed calmer now, but there was still a fire in his eyes.

"It's all true?" Jeremy asked, his tone even.

Elena nodded.

"So vampires exist?" Jeremy pressed.

Elena nodded once more, "There's something else I need to tell you and I don't think you're going to like it."

Jeremy smiled but it did not reach his eyes. He sat on the edge of his bed and threw his hands up in the air. Elena hated seeing him so flustered, but he was trying to maintain his composure.

"Vicki Donovan was a vampire. And she was killed when she attacked me, you saw it but you don't remember it because I had Damon wipe your memories of it." Elena spoke softly. She hoped Jeremy would know she was trying to protect him. He had a look of disbelief in his eyes. Elena looked at the ground, anxious.

"You had my thoughts manipulated by Damon, a vampire?" Jeremy asked, his voice dangerously low.

Elena nodded.

"Why are you always trying to control everything? Even when you just up and left us, you still have to come and go whenever you please. And you don't care how it effects any of us!" Jeremy spoke aggressively. He did not mean all the words that had just flew from his mouth, but Elena did not know that.

She felt her throat tighten, "I do care about you. That's why I'm here."

"But you'll leave again?" Jeremy questioned.

"I know you don't understand." Elena whispered.

"Why don't you just get Damon to wipe my memories of you? Make this a little easier on me." Jeremy spat. Elena stared at her brother. She bit her lip and looked away. She did not want it to be like this between them.

"Do you really want that? To forget I ever existed?" Elena's voice cracked.

Jeremy hesitated and guilt flooded him. He stood and tried to reach out to Elena, to apologize. Elena shook her head and backed away.

"I'll leave in the morning." Elena said.

She turned to leave, ignoring Jeremy's rushed apologies. She wiped at her eyes as she walked into her bedroom.

OoOoOo

She handed Dean her journal. He took it from her, not allowing his gaze to leave hers. He could tell she had been crying. He took the journal and set it on the bed beside him. He motioned for Elena to move towards her.

He kissed her softly, "Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, "Good news is we'll just leave in the morning," she tookd a shaky breath, "I'm going to shower, but I want you to read this."

Dean looked at the journal beside him, "You want me to read your diary?"

She nodded.

"Isn't a girls diary supposed to be sacred or something?" Dean teased. Elena cracked a smile.

"Just read it. I want you to know more." Elena kissed his forehead.

Dean watched her as she went into the bathroom. When the door closed he ran his thumb over the cover of her journal. He sighed heavily and moved to rest against the headboard.

He opened to the first page and began to read.

OoOoOo

After her shower, Elena brushed out her hair and got dressed. She knew they were more than likely going to lie in bed for most of the day, but it did not matter to her. She was sick to her stomach after her fight with Jeremy, but she hoped that with time he would not be as angry.

Elena walked out of her bathroom and into her room to find Dean wholly engaged in her scribbled thoughts. His forehead was scrunched and his mouth was in semi pout. She knew Dean was not the big reader in his family. Sam was the researcher and Dean loathed it. Yet, he was more than occupied reading her journal.

Elena climbed into her bed and Dean rested his arm around her waist. She remained quiet and allowed Dean to keep reading. She did not feel strange that Dean was reading her most secluded ideas and feelings. She knew he would understand her better after it. And really that was all she wanted.

These were her last thoughts as she fell back asleep.

OoOoOo

Elena woke up to Dean shaking her. "Elena, Jenna's back. She's been calling for you." Dean's gentle voice roused her.

She sat up slowly and let her eyes adjust. Dean's hair was still a little wet from the shower, but he had changed. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans, but he looked well rested. Elena saw her journal on the nightstand.

"Did you finish reading it?" Elena asked.

He nodded, "We'll talk about it over some dinner. Get dressed; I'll meet you downstairs."

"What are you doing downstairs?" Elena asked.

"Meeting the famed vampire hunter." Dean smirked.

OoOoOo

Alaric laughed and took a drink, "You're kind of a legend."

Dean genuinely smiled and shook his head. His instincts told him that Alaric was trustworthy. When Dean had come downstairs Jenna was still in the bathroom, Alaric was in the kitchen. He was drinking whiskey, which Dean noted. Dean thought he seemed too clean cut to be a hunter. He belonged in the classroom as opposed to on the road.

"I don't know about that." Dean remained modest. He had met a lot of hunters in his time. In his personal experience hunting he had seen and done a lot of things that the majority of hunters never would. Hell, no hunter he knew was going to experience what he and Sam had.

"You're humble. That's good." Alaric observed.

Dean shrugged, "So why are you in Mystic Falls. Aside from Katherine."

Alaric raised his eyebrows, surprised Dean knew about her. He cleared his throat, "Well there's a lot of vampires in Mystic Falls. Jeremy's kind of been dating this girl, Anna. She's one of them." Alaric explained.

"One thing after another." Dean interjected. He would have to tell Elena about that when he got a chance. They had a lot of things to discuss.

Alaric nodded, "And I'm just looking out for him."

Dean continued their conversation politely, still sizing up the hunter.

OoOoOo

Elena had changed into a plain white t-shirt and jeans. She threw on a jacket for good measure. As she walked down the stairs, Jenna came into view. She wore a simple black dress; her hair was done in light curls. Elena had not seen her aunt with her hair and makeup done in a long time.

"Hey sleepy head. Ric and Dean are in the kitchen." Jenna said as she provided some last minute touches to her ensemble.

"Jenna, you look great." Elena smiled.

"Why thank you." Jenna responded.

Elena hesitated, but then decided to speak up. "Jenna, are you okay that I came back for the day?"

Jenna nodded, "Of course I am. I wish you were staying longer."

Elena nodded slowly, "Oh, this morning you just didn't seem excited. I know I'm being weird, but I haven't seen you in months and I did miss you."

Jenna laughed, "I don't know Elena, I thought my crying and hugging you last night was quite the welcoming."

Elena stiffened, "What?"

"Last night when you came home? We caught up a lot then." Jenna reminded her.

Elena paled as realization crept upon her.

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews/follows/favorites. I had written this chapter, then rewrote it and finally decided to post it. I am obviously changing around some of TVD storyline to fit mine, but either way I hope you enjoy! Next chapter brings some craziness :)**


	10. Knowledge and Wisdom

Katherine had been in her home with Jeremy and Jenna. How had she gotten invited in? Insecurity and anxiousness flooded Elena. Had Katherine been at the house for long? What did she do or say while she was here? Elena did not have time to think over every possibility because Jenna was still staring at her, waiting for a response.

Elena let out an awkward laugh and shook her head, "Right, I know. Sorry I just kind of blanked."

Jenna eyed Elena wearily but then she chuckled. Jenna glanced past Elena and smiled widely. Elena turned and saw Dean and Alaric walking towards them. They both looked at ease and relaxed. Elena could sense that Dean was comfortable, but when he looked at her his mood wavered. Dean could tell that something was wrong just based on Elena's facial expression.

"You boys having fun?" Jenna teased.

Alaric shrugged, "Dean is an interesting guy," he extended his hand towards Elena, "I'm Alaric, nice to meet you."

Elena shook his hand, "Nice to meet you."

Alaric held her gaze and focused on her, "Heard a lot about you." Alaric had a picturesque smile that reached his eyes. The way Jenna looked at him showed just how happy he made her.

"Good things I hope," Elena paused, "You two going out to dinner?"

Jenna nodded, "Yes, actually we should get going."

"Have a good night you two." Dean grinned cheekily.

Jenna and Alaric laughed in unison and then they were out the front door. Alaric glanced back at Elena before he closed the door behind him. The smile that Elena had plastered on her face disappeared. She moved to sit on the stairs and set her head in her hands. Dean looked at Elena, concern washed over his features.

"So what's he like?" Elena motioned towards where Alaric had stood.

Dean shrugged, "Nice enough I suppose. What happened out here? You don't look so good."

"Katherine was in the house." Elena looked up at him.

"What? How do you know?" Dean asked urgently. He looked around the room; now feeling like the house was not secure.

Elena threw her hands up, "I was telling Jenna that I did miss her and I was, I don't know, I was bothered by how distant she was towards me. And then she said last night when I got home she was more than happy to see me."

Dean raised his hand and clenched the bridge of his nose. They had enough to worry about, but what risk Katherine posed was completely unknown. Elena felt uneasy as she sat in her own home.

"This is friggin' great." Dean muttered as he leant against the staircase.

"What do we do?" Elena asked.

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. He could tell how much she was struggling and how tired she was.

"Let's go get some dinner." Dean suggested, completely throwing off Elena. She scoffed and stared at Dean.

"You want to get dinner?" Elena repeated, confused.

"Yes I do. I mean what else are we going to do? We're sitting ducks if we stay here, we might as well get out of the house. Plus, it will give us some time to talk." Dean was proud of his proposal.

Elena felt her stomach knot. She wondered what Dean had thought about her journal and reading about her life. Thus far, he was acting no differently. In fact he seemed calmer than Elena had seen him recently.

"What about Jeremy? We can't just leave him here." Elena wondered how much Dean had thought this out.

Dean rolled his eyes, "He left while you were sleeping."

"You just have an answer for everything, don't you?" Elena smiled.

Dean nodded, "So what do you say? Want to get a bite to eat with me?"

Elena raised her eyebrow, "You asking me on a date, Winchester?"

Dean chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I am."

Elena smiled, "Okay."

OoOoOo

The Grill was the most popular place in Mystic Falls and it held true even now. Elena and Dean decided a casual night with bar food would be a good idea. As they moved through the crowd of people to be seated in a secluded booth in the back, eyes followed them. Elena knew most of the people who were there. It was a mixture of curiosity and surprise.

It was a corner booth that allowed Elena and Dean to sit directly beside each other. "Can I get you two something to drink?" The waitress asked, her eyes more focused on Dean. He didn't even look up from the menu as he asked for a beer and Elena ordered a water.

Dean set the menu down, "Pretty popular, huh?" Dean smiled at Elena.

"I was once believe it or not." Elena laughed.

They made quick small talk and ordered their food. Dean of course over ordered, but Elena knew he would eat everything that put before him. Once the waitress left, they both knew that they would have some time before she came back.

"So you read it?" Elena asked.

Dean nodded, "Every word."

"And?" Elena was curious to how Dean was going to respond.

Dean looked at Elena, "I'm glad that you trusted me enough to read it. I didn't know half the things that you wrote about. Honestly, I can't believe I didn't ask more." Dean was initially frustrated with himself that he had never really asked Elena any personal questions. He knew she lived with her aunt and brother, she was a cheerleader, and she dated a vampire briefly. But the way she penned her thoughts and emotions about everything going on in her life was indescribable. She had a beautiful outlook on life.

Elena shrugged, "There were more pressing matters."

Dean shook his head, "It doesn't matter," he paused, "I'm sorry about your parents. What were they like?"

"They were great…I don't think I realized how much I loved them until they were gone. I still miss them." Elena admitted. After their deaths, a part of her had changed. She had experienced true guilt and loss, emotions she had never faced before.

Elena took a breath, "So much changed after they passed. Before, Jeremy was so happy and actually went to class. I cheered and cared so much about being popular and it all seemed so important. The night they died, we were supposed to be having a family night. And I didn't go."

Dean remained quiet, allowing Elena to speak.

"I'm sorry, you know all of this." Elena flushed.

"That doesn't mean you can't talk about it. I want you to." Dean encouraged.

Elena gave a soft smile, "I just wish I would have been different. I know their deaths aren't my fault, but I still feel the guilt. I know I can't change any of it, but I still think about it."

Dean stared at her, "They would be proud of you."

"Thanks Dean." Elena murmured. She and Dean had more in common than she had ever thought. Both of them had lost their parents. Both of them had a younger brother they were fiercely protective of. They both understood feeling isolated and guilty.

Dean cleared his throat; "You don't write anymore?"

Elena shook her head, "Not really."

Dean studied her, "Maybe you should?"

Elena smiled at Dean, her hand resting over his. "I have someone to tell all of that stuff to now."

Dean smiled and Elena's heart thumped in her chest.

She leant in and gently pressed her lips to Deans. His lips were soft and inviting. She smiled against his lips, feeling satisfied and comfortable. It was the most relaxed she had been in a long time.

"What was that for?" Dean asked.

"I just wanted to." Elena murmured.

The waitress came back over, "How you two doin'?" She asked. Dean replied politely and Elena smiled.

As soon as the waitress walked away, Elena moved out of the booth. "I'll be right back."

Dean nodded as he took a sip of his drink.

He was feeling pretty content too.

OoOoOo

Elena walked out of the bathroom stall, just like she had done hundreds of times before. It still struck her as odd being back at the grill. This used to be her favorite place to spend time with friends and let loose. It just didn't feel that way anymore.

She turned the faucet on and washed her hands quickly. She slowly lifted her head up to look at her reflection in the mirror, but instead saw an infuriated Damon behind her. She inhaled sharply then twisted to face him.

"Damon, what are you doing in here?" Elena asked, still startled.

Damon stared at her and then with inhuman speed stood before her. She stiffened, beginning to feel uncomfortable. He studied her, staring at every corner of her face. She raised her eyebrows.

"What?" Elena bit out.

"It's amazing, the resemblance. You really had me fooled the other night, but not anymore." Damon gripped Elena's forearms and she let out a pained gasp. She tried to wrestle away from Damon but he only tightened his grasp on her.

"Damon, let me go! I'm not Katherine!" Elena shrieked.

Clearly, he did not believe her. Damon spun her around and slammed her up against the bathroom stall. Elena grunted and tensed at the pain that shot up her back. Damon immediately let go of her when he realized that it was really Elena before him.

"Elena?" Damon knelt down and looked at her.

"I told you." She snapped. Her body throbbed and she knew there would be a bruise. Damon's strength was beyond that of a human and he exhibited it.

"I thought you were Katherine." Damon shook his head.

Elena's eyes widened, "Katherine is here?"

Damon nodded, "I saw her walk into the Grill. I didn't even know you were in town."

Elena got to her feet, "Well I didn't exactly announce it." She turned to leave the bathroom.

"Where are you going? Don't you think this requires a little discussion?" Damon's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Yeah, after I tell Dean she's here." Elena said over her shoulder.

OoOoOo

"That was fast." Dean observed as Elena slid into the booth beside him. Elena smiled up at him sweetly, her eyes twinkling. He felt his chest swell, after tonight's dinner Dean felt even closer to her.

She rested her hand on Dean's upper thigh and he looked down at her, his eyebrow raised. Without a word she leant into him and pressed her lips into his. Dean attempted to not show his surprise and returned the kiss. She smiled against his lips and softly nipped his lower lip. She slipped his tongue into his mouth and moved her hand over his jeans. Her hand

But something felt different. Dean pulled back, "Elena, what's gotten into you? Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it's a little unlike you?" He registered right away that it was not Elena. It had to be Katherine. He reached down towards his boot where he hada knife sheathed.

"That's because it's not Elena." Damon drawled.

She bit her lip and shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Come on Katherine." Damon pulled her up roughly by her upper arm and out of the booth.

Dean looked up towards the restroom where Elena had gone in before.

"You too chisel chest. Elena's outside." Damon called.

Dean cleared his throat and followed the two vampires outside. While he didn't trust Damon, he believed him in this moment. They walked down a dark alley beside the grill and Elena was standing there. Her arms were crossed, her jaw clenched angrily.

Dean moved over to her and put his hands on her face, looking at her. He noticed the redness around her wrist. Her cheeks were flushed. "Did he hurt you?" Dean whispered.

Elena shook her head, "He thought I was Katherine."

"That doesn't matter. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Dean spoke sharply.

"Oh calm down." Damon still had a firm handle on Katherine.

Elena looked past Dean and saw her doppelganger for the first time. She glared at her intensely, studying her. It was like she was looking in a mirror but there were subtle differences. Katherine seemed cold and distant, harsh almost. She appeared to be an alternate version of Elena.

"Isn't this cozy," Katherine said completely deadpan, "Now let me go." She yanked her arm away from Damon, but stayed standing beside him.

"Elena…how interesting. It appears we have the same taste in men after all." Katherine grinned at Dean.

Elena glanced at Dean who could only glare at Katherine.

"These two were locking lips like wild teenagers. Tsk, tsk." Damon smiled and his eyes widened briefly.

Elena felt her chest tighten, a feeling she was not expecting. She turned to look at Dean. He cleared his throat, "I thought she was you. I realized she wasn't and Damon showed up."

Elena shook her head. She was angry, and admittedly slightly jealous, as she thought of Katherine kissing Dean. Part of her felt a stab of betrayal from Dean, but she knew They were even dressed the same. "Have you been watching me?" Elena asked.

Katherine shrugged, "When your doppelganger comes to town, one might become inclined to observe from afar."

"Going to my house does not really sound like observing from afar." Elena asked, using Katherine's word choice.

"Well I didn't hurt anyone. And I don't plan to. I just want to talk." Katherine countered.

"Yeah, not buying it." Dean interjected. He was frustrated and angry that he had been fooled. He was worried Elena was going to be upset with him, which would only add tension. At least they had had an hour of peace over dinner.

Katherine raised her eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Really."

Katherine let out a huff, "Really Dean, you're more fun when you aren't talking."

"I won't be in Mystic Falls much longer. What do you want to talk about?" Elena asked, curious.

Katherine smiled, "I thought you would never ask."

Dean pulled Elena closer to him, his instincts to protect her going into overdrive.

Damon tilted his head to the side, "We should go some place a little more private."

"Ooh, I know! How about the Gilbert residence?" Katherine exclaimed.

Elena shook her head, "No."

"Come on. Jenna is with Alaric and Jeremy is out doing god knows what. No one will be home for a few more hours at least." Katherine explained.

Dean couldn't relax, "We'll meet you there."

He turned away with Elena in tow.

OoOoOo

"I don't like this." Dean ground out, his fingers gripped the Impala's steering wheel.

Elena said nothing.

"I mean, we don't even know what she wants. She's dangling information in front of you that we don't even know if we can trust." Dean said.

Elena nodded, "I know."

"But we're doing this anyway?" He asked.

"Dean, if she wanted to hurt us she would have by now." Elena looked at him. She hated that their night had been ruined by Katherine's arrival. She rubbed her sore wrist and looked out the window solemnly.

Dean agreed.

OoOoOo

It was a scene she had never imagined. They sat in her living room, well Katherine and Elena sat across from each other. Dean stood in the doorway, too anxious to sit. He was waiting for Katherine or Damon to make one wrong move. Damon stood behind Katherine, his expression unreadable.

Elena glanced towards him, "Where's Stephan by the way?" She was genuinely surprised that he had not showed up by now.

Damon gave a tight smile, "He's around. Don't worry about it."

Katherine waved her hand, "Stephan is not important."

Elena pressed her lips as Katherine studied her.

"You haven't realized you're special by now?" Katherine asked. Everything she said sounded mildly impolite. Her tone was condescending, almost defensive. Elena had not gotten over that she was talking to someone who looked exactly like her.

Elena kept her mouth in a grim line, "I don't know if special isn't the word for it."

Katherine rolled her eyes, "If I could go back, when I had the opportunities in front of me that you do now...you're such a foolish girl."

Elena moved to stand up, but Katherine pulled her down. "Wait, wait," she paused, "I know you do not realize what is happening to you, by the time I did, it was too late." Dean had moved beside Elena instantly as soon as Katherine touched her.

"You keep your hands to yourself." He glared at the vampire.

She raised her hands in defense as she sat back down.

Elena saw a flash of humanity in her eyes. "What do you mean?" Elena asked.

Katherine sighed, "Let me guess, you started having visions, maybe some dreams about Dean? At first you ignored them but they became persistent-"

"How did you know that?" Elena interrupted.

` Katherine smiled, but for once, it was not malicious. "And when you met him, you touched you saw everything. Then you stuck by him and you began to feel his emotions, really feel them."

Elena felt sick to her stomach.

"You can't be this clueless. Don't you have that little angel floating around? Hasn't he shared anything?" Katherine asked, bored.

"How do you know about Castiel?" Dean asked.

Katherine shook her head, "Hello, vampire? Creature of hell? We're a part of the supernatural world."

Damon grunted, "The Winchester's aren't exactly under the radar."

Elena waved her hand. She didn't really care about how well known the Winchesters were. Katherine was here giving her answers to questions that had been building.

"So you had someone, like I have Dean." Elena reiterated.

"Operative word being had. I was bonded to someone once, the way you are to Dean now. I fought it and by the time I realized I was wrong he was taken from me." Katherine spoke with a bitterness aimed at no one but herself.

"What happened?" Elena asked cautiously.

Katherine let out an empty laugh, "He died."

Elena looked up to see Dean watching her. Damon stood in the entryway of the room, remaining completely impassive. Elena wondered how much of this Damon had known, if any.

"What happened after he died?" Elena asked

"I became empty. I wasn't myself. Not too long after he passed, I became what I am now. On the plus side, I can turn my humanity off in an instant." Katherine explained.

"Do you still feel it? The bond, even though he's gone?"

"He was the only one I ever loved. I feel his absence always." Katherine looked down and for a moment she appeared to be extremely vulnerable. Elena, for the first time, felt awful for her.

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Dean did not understand and he did not accept handouts.

Katherine shrugged, "It's a favor."

"You don't expect me to believe that." Elena muttered.

Katherine grinned, "I might need something from you one day. Perhaps you'll be a little bit more inclined to help me."

Elena shook her head, "You haven't really answered any questions."

Katherine motioned for Elena to ask them.

"Am I human?"

"Technically, no."

"Then what am I?"

"Not everything has a label Elena."

"Cut the crap Katherine." Dean snapped.

Katherine glared at him, "Just because you're afraid doesn't mean you need to project onto me. I don't know what she is and I don't know what she's capable of."

"Then why are we here?" Damon drawled.

"How close were you to…" Elena trailed off awkwardly, ignoring Damon.

"Closer than you and Dean, but we were more open with our emotions and what the bond between us meant." Katherine seemed almost envious of Elena. She had a chance that Katherine would never have again. No matter whom Katherine loved, it would never be like how it was.

"How do you mean?" Damon asked, curious.

"We didn't shy away from our connection." Katherine watched Elena shift uncomfortably.

Damon tilted his head to the side, a glint in his eye, "How was your so called bond different than what our Elena has here with Dean?" Elena could not mistake Damon's jealous tone.

"It was permanent."

"How?"

"We consummated it." Katherine kept her gaze level with Elena. She felt her cheeks warm. She knew Dean knew she was inexperienced as a lover. It was not something they had discussed.

"Better keep waiting then Elena." Damon's eyes gleamed with amusement.

Dean raised his hand, "This is irrelevant."

"Better keep waiting then, Elena." Damon smirked.

"Shut up," Elena gritted, "How did it change?"

Katherine smiled fondly, "I knew where he was, if he was in danger. Anything else that would have come after that, I don't know."

Dean ran his hands up the side of his face. He hadn't seen anything like this coming. Hearing the word 'permanent' did not send him into a panic for the first time. That worried him more than anything Katherine had said.

Katherine stood up, "Well, I've had enough chit chat for one night."

"We've barely even talked." Elena pointed out, affronted.

Katherine nodded, "I've given you enough information; remember that when I call in that favor. You help me, I help you."

Damon followed Katherine out the door.

Before she exited, Katherine turned to face them, "Trust me Elena, you'll have more questions in the future. Maybe you should look into your bloodlines a little deeper?" Katherine winked and then she was gone.

Elena stared after, not feeling even slightly resolved.

OoOoOo

Elena lay on her bed. Aunt Jenna had not come home yet, neither had Jeremy. She had had a little bit of time to attempt to process what Katherine had said, but none of it made sense to her. Her bloodlines? The bond with Dean? Her mind felt even more overworked.

Elena cleared her throat and called Sam's cellphone. She couldn't help but worry about him. The call went straight to voicemail. She waited for the beep and said, "Sam, it's Elena. Dean and I are in Mystic Falls. We'll probably head out tomorrow, I'm not sure where to. Stay safe, call soon."

As she ended the phone call, Dean walked out of her bathroom. His hair was still wet from the shower and he wore a grey t-shirt and black boxer briefs. He smiled at her and sat beside her.

Elena rested her head on his shoulder, "This has been such a long day."

Dean rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, yeah, speaking of long day, since there was so much going on I didn't get the chance to tell you some things."

Elena looked at him, "What?"

Dean smiled uncomfortably, and then said, "When I was talking with Alaric earlier, he mentioned Jeremy's new girlfriend."

"Dean, out with it."

"She's apparently a vampire." Dean admitted.

Dean waited for Elena to frown or yell, but instead she stared. Her lips began to quiver and Dean braced for the tears. Instead she laughed so hard she had to cover her mouth. Her eyes watered and she felt tears slipping, but she was not upset. It was to the point that nothing surprised her anymore. She felt like she had no control over anything. If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.

Dean put his hand gently on her shoulder, "You okay?"

Elena nodded and wiped her eyes. "It's ridiculous isn't it? I try and protect him and he runs in the opposite direction, right into what I am trying to shield him from."

Dean understood her helplessness. He couldn't count how many times he had tried to protect Sam for nothing. He lazily traced circles on her back.

"What do you want to do?" Dean asked.

"Alaric is here." Elena whispered.

Dean pulled back surprised, "You givin' up?"

Elena shook her head, "No."

Dean stayed silent.

"Can you still feel me?" Dean whispered.

She glanced at him, "Well not as intensely, but it takes a lot of energy not to. But, you're tired too."

Dean nodded.

"Katherine was not what I expected." Dean murmured. He moved to lie down and Elena moved beside him. He absent-mindedly put his arm over her waist.

Elena agreed, "No she wasn't," Elena paused, and "At least we know more than we did before."

Dean grunted, "If you want to call it that."

Elena gently caressed Dean's scruffy cheek. He hesitated, but looked into her eyes. She kept her breathing steady, but relaxed and allowed herself to freely feel Dean. Emotions and sensations rushed her, but she welcomed it. She felt anxiety, trust, exhaustion, then she focused on stopping the floodgate of his emotions.

"Dean, I need to ask you something." Elena whispered.

He nodded.

"Would you change this if you could? Me being a part of your life now? Especially with everything we learned tonight." She mirrored a question that he had once asked her. Elena thought about everything with Sam, Castiel, and Kevin. Then her life in Mystic Falls, which brought on a whole new plethora of complications. On this trip alone Alaric and Katherine had become parts of the equation.

Dean stared at her, unable to read her. He was not sure if she could feel him. He had seen a lot in his life as a hunter and had many different types of relationships with individuals. He had suffered heartbreak and formed attachments he should not have. But he did not feel that way about her, not in the least. What he felt for Elena was just different. He could not put it into words.

"Elena," he shook his head, "I wouldn't change it."

**A/N: Thank you all for reading! Elena still has a lot left to figure out about herself and her family, but all in good time! Reviews are welcome :) **


	11. Moving Forward

Dean's fingers roughly grasped her thighs, eliciting a moan from Elena. Her breathing was ragged; the feel of Dean's bare chest against hers had pushed her into sensory overload. His lips were warm against her throat. Elena bucked her hips against him, begging him to touch her. She wanted him more than she ever had.

Elena's hand slid down Dean's arm. She faltered when she felt tender, raised skin. Elena glanced down to see a red, swollen mark on Dean's forearm. She pressed her fingers against it and Dean let out a hiss. Dean tilted his head back and groaned.

"Dean?" Elena whispered.

He looked down at her, his eyes completely black.

OoOoOo

Elena shot up, a mixture of fear and arousal pulsating through her. She looked down at Dean's sleeping form. He had not even moved at Elena's outburst. She steadied her breath and slowly got out of bed. She knew that it couldn't be a coincidence. Two dreams of Dean where he had eyes of a demon, it had to mean something. She felt a pit in her stomach. She made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

"Elena." Castiel's voice appeared behind her. She gasped and turned to see Castiel standing there. She set the water down and glared at him. "You scared me." Elena bit out. She softened once Castiel smiled apologetically.

"That was not my intention. I just wanted to check in with you." Castiel explained.

Elena nodded slowly, "I'm okay, how's Sam?"

"He is focused," Castiel studied Elena, "But you seem anxious."

Elena dryly laughed, "Well I met Katherine."

Castiel raised his eyebrows, "But you appear to be uninjured."

Elena grinned and then refocused, "She just wanted to talk. She said she had a similar bond with a man when she was human, like with what I have with Dean now." Elena felt confusion seep in as the words settled. Her and Katherine were connected in more ways than she thought.

"And then what happened?"

"He died and she became a vampire shortly after," Elena paused, "Uh…she said that in order to feel the bond more completely I would have to consummate my relationship."

Castiel nodded slowly as Elena's cheeks warmed. She felt like she was having "the talk" with her Aunt Jenna. She just needed to tell someone what had happened, process it aloud.

"Is this a problem?" Castiel questioned, confused.

Elena shook her head, "No…it's just. I haven't."

Castiel still seemed perplexed, "You and Dean have not consummated your relationship?"

Elena shook her head, hesitated, and said, "I haven't had sex with anyone."

Castiel smiled softly. Elena flushed.

"Do not be embarrassed. Dean has had sex with many women." Castiel attempted to be comforting.

Elena rolled her eyes, "Yes. I know. That doesn't make me feel much better."

Castiel seemed focused, "I believe Dean has a profound love for you."

Elena sighed, "Dean and I aren't…we haven't…we haven't really sorted through that."

Castiel seemed to understand. Elena rested against the countertop and let out a heavy sigh. "I had another dream about Dean." Elena whispered.

"Where he becomes a demon?" Castiel questioned, a frown forming.

Elena nodded, "It has to mean something."

Castiel responded, "I will see what I can find."

"It felt too real." Elena shook her head and looked away from Castiel.

"Have you told Dean about this?" Castiel asked.

"No." Elena felt the guilt wash over her.

Castiel stayed quiet. Dean had his hands full with Sam and Gadreel. Elena did not want to further burden him, but that didn't mean she felt guilt free. Elena cleared her throat and shrugged.

"Anyway, Sam is doing okay? What have you guys been up to?" Elena diverted the subject.

"We're trying to find Gadreel. We have a plan." Castiel spoke softly.

"Are you going to tell me?" Elena asked.

Castiel glanced up stairs, "Dean is awake. I think it is better that he not see me. I'll see you soon Elena." And then Castiel disappeared. Elena heard Dean's footsteps as he came downstairs.

Dean walked in, a sleepy look in his eyes. He smiled softly at her, "Couldn't sleep?"

Elena nodded, "Yeah, guess I'm just ready to be on the road."

Dean knew the feeling, "Tomorrow."

He bent down and kissed Elena softly. It was a quick kiss, but felt so comfortable like it was part of a routine. It was enough to push everything that was wrong from her mind, even if just for a moment.

OoOoOo

They had driven for a few hours and decided to stop at some bar and grill on the just off the highway. Elena had snuck out of the house in the morning. She left a quick note to say that she was okay and to thank her family. And now she was back on the road with no new objective.

Dean grinned at Elena, a flirtatious glint in his eyes. Dean actually felt better. He had allowed himself to forget about everything that was wrong. And then Crowley appeared abruptly. He stood at the edge of the table, his signature smirk on his face. He winked at Elena, whose smiled had vanished.

"So...is that boudoir smile for me?" Crowley turned his attentions to Dean. Dean was briefly shocked to see Crowley, but his hand was already reaching for the demon blade hidden in his jacket.

"At least buy me a drink first." Crowley teased.

Dean frowned, "I said the next time I see you-"

Crowley waved his hand nonchalantly and moved to sit beside Elena. She moved over reluctantly but kept her eyes on Dean. She watched Dean's hand linger on the blade underneath his jacket. She knew that Crowley was not going to hurt her, but she did not trust him.

"Dead. Yes, rings a bell, but let's not dwell on the past, shall we? This bar is a bust. That waitress is trouble with a capital VD, and your prey, Gadreel, has left the building. So, it's time to move on to more pressing matters, like destroying Abaddon." Crowley explained.

"I'm assuming you have some brilliant plan?" Elena gave a bitter smile.

Crowley chuckled, "Right dear, right you are."

"What exactly would that be? The Knights of Hell aren't exactly the dying kind." Dean muttered.

"But there is something that can kill a knight. The weapon that the archangels used to execute them - the First Blade." Crowley stared at Dean.

Dean shrugged, not interested, "Never heard of it. Can I kill you now?"

Ignoring the comment, Crowley continued, "I've been chasing that blade for decades. The closest I got to it was when one of my droogs - Smitty - got wind of a protégé demon of Abaddon's who claimed knowledge of the blade. Sadly, before Smitty

could nab the guy, a hunter by the name of John Winchester nabbed the protégé. I'm here to see if there's anything in the John Winchester memorial library that might lead us to the first blade - to killing Abaddon."

"You want to hunt?" Elena stared at Crowley. She had to admit her interest was piqued.

"With me?" Dean questioned, not quite believing what he was hearing.

Crowley smiled, "I do love a good buddy comedy," he turned to Elena, "With a splash of romance. Just to liven things up."

Dean rolled his eyes and took out his father's journal. Elena watched as he began to delicately flip through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He clenched his jaw and tapped his finger on the page.

"Oh, yeah. Here it is. Yeah, he picked up a protégé who had bones with Abaddon, but that's about all it says in here."

Crowley leaned across the table to glance at the old pages, "What do those numbers in the margins mean?"

"None of your business." Dean responded.

"You're gonna play hard to get? We have time for a montage?" Crowley countered.

"It's a code - one of my dad's storage lockers. He may have put something about the case there." Dean explained.

"And what does the "T" next to the numbers mean?" Elena asked.

"I don't know." Dean spoke softly to her, more gently.

"Let's go find daddy's man cave, then, shall we?" Crowley proposed.

"And how do I know this isn't a trap?" Dean asked the million dollar question.

"You...don't. That's what makes it fun." Crowley had a gleam in his eye. Clearly this was entertaining for him. Crowley stood and made his way out of the bar. Dean shook his head and finished his drink.

"You think this is a good idea?" Elena asked.

"If this gets us closer to Abbadon what can it hurt?" Dean shrugged.

He and Elena walked out together.

OoOoOo

They had gone to the storage locker only to find that Crowley had been telling the truth. John had captured a demon with another hunter, Tara. Elena glanced up at the sign on the building. Apparently she owned a pawnshop now.

They walked into the building, the bell on the door dinging as they did. Elena saw the woman behind the counter. She was blonde, her arms incredibly muscular. She didn't look like a hunter, but Elena knew it had to be Tara.

Dean cleared his throat, "Tara?"

The woman looked up and eyed the three of them. Elena thought they looked like un unlikely trio, "That's what the sign says. Can I help you?"

"Yeah. Hope so. John Winchester ring a bell? I'm his son." Dean explained.

Tara raised an eyebrow, "Sam or Dean?"

"Dean."

Tare tensed and grabbed her knee, "Well, didn't you grow up pretty. Still in the family business?"

"Yeah, born and raised. Listen, bunch of years back, you worked a job with my dad. Well, me and my, uh, associate h—" Dean didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Tara raised a shotgun at them. Dean moved to stand in front of Elena, his mouth in a hard line.

"Ever since '92, I get a painful little tickle in what's left of my knee whenever a demon is around." Tara looked between Elena and Crowley, unsure of which one was the demon.

"Point that thing somewhere else would you." Dean spoke gruffly.

Crowley rolled his eyes, "Hunters. So trusting. I'll go grab a latte while you get this sorted." Crowley moved to snap his fingers, but nothing happened.

Tara smiled, "Devil's trap under the knock-off Persian, jackass."

Elena scooted back the rug with her foot. A red devil's trap appeared. Dean sighed, "Tara listen, my, uh, associate-"

"Friends - besties, actually." Crowley smiled.

"Shut up Crowley." Elena glared at him. He smiled in return.

"Look, I'm the King of Hell. He's a Winchester. There's a reason why we're working together." Crowley's voice oozed confidence.

"Yeah, whose she?" She pointed towards Elena.

"She doesn't have anything to do with this. She's human and she's with me." Dean cut in before Elena had a chance to speak. Elena felt a wave of possessiveness wash over her. She realized that it was coming from Dean. She tried to will it away, but the feeling wouldn't budge. Tara seemed fascinated albeit unimpressed.

Before Elena knew it, she and Dean had been splashed with holy water. Elena let out a breath and wiped her face, "See, still human." She attempted to smile at Tara but her annoyance shined through.

"Okay? Yes, you're right. He is a jackass, but he's helping me on this." Dean said

"Helping you with what?" Tara asked, her interest piqued.

"You and my old man found a demon who knew something about the First Blade. We need to find that blade." Dean told her.

"Well, hell. You are as handsome as John. And as dumb, too, if you're looking for that old relic."

"We're hunting a Knight of Hell."

Tara shook her head, "Why? They're all dead."

"One came back, Abadon." Elena told her. Tara pulled out a manila file from beneath the counter top.

"The demon said the archangels used a weapon that could kill the Knights of Hell. We'd never heard of anything like the Knights of Hell or a First Blade. Your dad thought he was lying, trying to save himself. We took him out, and we had a lovely weekend together. Then we went our separate ways. But I could never let the blade go. Something like that could really give a hunter an edge, you know? I looked all over the world - destroyed my knee and my life. And all I found," she moved to the safe on the wall and took out a tray of ingredients, "A location spell for the blade That I could never finish. Couldn't find one ingredient - essence of Kraken."

Crowley stepped closer, "Kraken? I got a warehouse full of Kraken essence in Belize. Break the trap, I can be there and back before you say, "presto"."

Tara replied completely deadpan, "Presto."

Dean was getting frustrated, "He wants Abaddon as dead as I do."

Tara shook her head, "If your daddy could see you now." Elena winced at the words. Tara moved around the counter and further pushed back the rug with her foot. With one quick blast the Devil's Trap outer ring was broken and Crowley disappeared. "You know, even if that blade is real, it ain't worth being bosom buddies with the King of Hell." Tara looked at Dean.

"Abaddon? Way worse. I'll deal with Crowley after. Trust me."

"You sound just like your dad... when he said he'd call me." Tara gauged his reaction. Dean was at a loss for words. Elena wondered what John Winchester was really like. She had seen Dean's memories but she thought the in person experience would be vastly different.

Before Dean could respond, Crowley reappeared. He handed Tara a small jar.

"Shall we?"

Tara mixed the spell while Dean laid out a map over the countertop. She poured the liquid over it. Dean lit a match and tossed it onto the map. Elena waited for the flames to dissipate and when they did only one state was left visible.

Missouri.

OoOoOo

They pulled up to a small cabin like home. The drive had been tense, quiet. Crowley got out of the car first. Elena was about to follow suit when Dean stopped her. His hand rested on top of hers.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked.

Dean stared ahead, "Stay close to me."

Elena nodded, "I will."

"I don't know what's going to happen and I'd ask you to stay back, but I know you won't." Dean smiled.

"Well at least you know that." Elena smiled at him.

Dean nodded and then moved to get out of the car. Elena did the same. Crowley cleared his throat, "Well if you two are finished…I'm feeling something."

"What, cramps?" Dean responded. Elena cracked a smile at Dean's quip.

"I feel something dark." Crowley retorted. "What, darker than you?" Dean questioned.

The Elena looked up and saw a man in a beekeeper suit. He was walking between hives, not looking at any of them. Crowley's face contorted and he looked back at the Impala.

"Oh, no. We need to leave here now." He stated firmly.

"What, are you allergic to bees?" Dean asked.

"That's not a beekeeper. That's the father of murder." Crowley looked to Elena, thinking she'd have enough sense to run.

"Who?" Dean questioned.

"It's Cain." Crowley said.

"Cain…as in Cain and Abel?" Elena asked. She wasn't very religious but she knew that tale, like most people did. She stared at the beekeeper. He didn't look menacing in any way.

"We need to be a world away from here - from him." Crowley turned to leave, but Cain appeared before the three of them.

"You're not going anywhere." Cain spoke, his voice gravelly and firm.

OoOoOo

The inside of Cain's house was nothing spectacular. It was shockingly homey, comfortable even. Elena sat beside Dean, her hand resting on his thigh. Crowley sat on the other side of them. Dean looked around scoping out the room.

Elena glanced at Crowley, who looked uncomfortable and ready to panic. "Crowley, why don't you just leave?" Elena asked

"I'd never leave my partners in crime." Crowley retorted.

Dean was not amused, "Yeah, like your heart grew three sizes. You can't zap out of here, can you?"

Crowley huffed, "Cain's doing something to me."

Elena felt a small twinge of satisfaction. "Since you're stuck here with us maybe you could tell us a little bit about Cain?"

Crowley grinned, "Anything for you dear," He glanced at Dean who was far from smiling, "After Cain killed Abel, he became a demon."

"What do you mean "became a demon"?" Dean interjected.

"I mean he became the deadliest demon to walk the face of the earth. Killed thousands. The best at being the worst. And then he just... Disappeared. Everyone thought he was dead or, at least, hoped he was." Crowley finished as soon as Cain came into the room.

He was handsome, a little older. His hair was graying and he had a full beard. Cain dressed like someone from another time, and then Elena realized he was from a completely different time. She stared at the tray of tea he carried. This was not what she had been expecting.

"Do any of you keep bees? It's very relaxing. They're such noble creatures. And the honey? Well, I keep it right on the comb." Cain explained as he set the tray down. He handed a cup to each of them. Crowley's hands shook as he began to sip.

"They're dying, you know. Without bees, mankind will cease to exist. So, what are the King of Hell and a Winchester doing at my house? And a Petrova doppelganger…" Cain looked at Elena. Elena looked up from her cup of tea and at Cain. She didn't smile, but continued to study him. She was used to those she didn't know recognizing her at this point.

"You know who we are?" Dean asked.

Cain nodded, "I'm retired. I'm not dead. What I don't know is why you're looking for me - more importantly, how you found me."

Crowley began to speak, but Cain silenced him. He waved his hand and Crowley immediately began to stutter. If the situation weren't so tense Elena would have laughed. Dean was able to make light of it, "Oh, you gotta teach me to do that." Elena glanced at him, unsure of what he was thinking. How was he able to stay so calm? It struck her that she was extremely relaxed as well. She wondered if Dean was influencing her somehow and if that were even possible.

"Why are you here, Dean?" Cain asked.

"We're looking for the weapon the archangels used to kill the Knights of Hell. The First Blade. We need it to kill a Knight of Hell - Abaddon." Dean told him.

Cain absentmindedly moved a ring on his left finger. Elena watched him intently. She noticed that Dean was watching him too. Dean cleared his throat, "Look, I get it. You're retired. We're not here to get between you and the demonic AARP, but it's bad out there, and I'm just looking to even the odds."

"One last time - how did you find me?"

Elena cut in, "The spell wasn't for you, but for the blade."

"Anyone else know you're here?" Cain questioned.

"No." Elena answered evenly. She moved her hand from Dean's thigh and began to feel her heart race and her face began to flush. Anxiety and stress hit her like a brick. She subtly placed her hand back on Dean's leg, just barely touching him and she began to feel more at ease. Dean wanted to ask her what was wrong, but it wasn't the time or the place.

Cain began to stand, "Well, it's been a pleasure having company, but once a century is enough for me. You can let yourselves out."

Dean shook his head and followed Cain; Elena immediately felt the loss of him being near her. Dean spoke with conviction, "Hey, listen, pal. We're not leaving here without the Blade."

"You have quite a reputation, Dean. I see the part about you being brave rings true."

"Well, what can I say? I'm an all-in kind of guy. Abaddon is the last Knight of Hell, and if you're out of the game, what the hell do you care if she dies?" Dean asked.

"If your friend here could talk, he would tell you that I trained the Knights of Hell. I built that entire demonic order with my own hands - Abaddon included." Cain glanced to Crowley. Elena immediately knew that Crowley was withholding something, that he had a secret agenda of his own.

Dean turned to glare at Crowley, "Well, that is information I could have used five minutes ago!" Crowley tried to explain but no noise came.

Well, here's something your friend doesn't know, that no one knows, in fact - outside of Abaddon. It wasn't the archangels that slaughtered the knights. It was me." Cain told Dean.

"Why did you turn on your own?" Dean asked.

Cain was not budging. "Once again, I admire your bravery. But if you'll excuse me, I have errands to run in town. Goodbye, Dean Winchester. Never return."

Dean said nothing else, but motioned for Crowley and Elena to follow him out. Elena took a last glance at Cain, something about him drew her in and she couldn't figure out what it was.

She just knew it was unsettling.

OoOoOo

As they walked towards the Impala Elena felt like they had spent the whole day accomplishing nothing. Cain was not going to help them in any way that much was clear. But she could see Dean was determined and the chance he would be giving up was slim.

"Well, that was lovely. Can we leave the country now?" Crowley quipped.

Elena looked to Dean. "You said the First Blade was our only shot at killing Abaddon. This is the closest we've been to it. We're not leaving." Dean was adamant.

Elena stepped closer to Dean, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes, Dean…listen to reason for once." Crowley chimed in.

Dean looked down at Elena, "Hey, this is the closest thing we got. We'll wait till he's gone, come back, bust in, take what's ours." Dean made it sound much more simple than it was going to be. Crowley was hesitant, as was Elena. But she trusted Dean. Crowley threw his hands up and walked over to the Impala to wait.

When he was far enough away, Elena turned to Dean. "Did you feel that in there?" Elena asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Were you trying to calm me down?" Elena pressed.

"I was calm, but you seemed fine." Dean responded.

"Yeah, only when I was touching you." Elena pointed out. Dean ran a hand down his face and let out a breath. Elena knew he was frustrated. He abruptly put his hands on her shoulders and stared intensely at her. Elena raised her eyebrows, she felt nothing.

"Feel that?" Dean asked.

She shook her head, "No." She was unable to stop herself and smiled slightly.

Dean nodded, "Okay, new plan. After we get the first blade, you and I are going somewhere. We're going to sort this, whatever is happening between us, we're sorting it out." Dean said almost forcefully. Elena was surprised at how willful he was.

"Okay?" Dean asked.

"Okay." Elena whispered.

She wasn't sure what to expect.

**Kind of a long note here, but I am not abandoning this story. I write when I can and I know this chapter took a long time to get out. I'm still really excited to write more. So, if you are sticking with this and still reading, thank you! **

**Now to the actual story, I decided to break this into two chapters or else it would have been far too long. Next chapter, Supernatural fans know what's going to happen in regards to the blade, but a lot of things are going to be happening between Dean and Elena **** Thanks for reading and for your patience!**


	12. It's All New To Me

**Hey all, I know it's been awhile, but here's a new chapter! My posting is sporadic, I know. Hopefully there are some people still reading. Just a reminder, this story is rated M and that will heavily come into play this chapter. Thanks!**

OoOoOo

Elena was absent-mindedly looking through Cain's personal possessions. While she didn't think this was the brightest idea, she didn't have any other ideas. She heard Crowley mutter something to Dean, but ignored him. Her eyes settled on a picture on a wooden mantle. The frame held an old, faded photo of a woman. The name "Colette" was on the bottom. Elena's eyes shot to the ring on her finger. It was almost identical to the one Cain was wearing.

Elena walked over to Dean and handed him the photograph. She waited for Dean to recognize it and when he did he muttered, "I'll be damned."

"He was married." Elena shook her head in disbelief.

Crowley sauntered over and glanced over Dean and Elena's shoulder, "Lovely. Little plain. Who is she?"

"Cain had a similar ring on. Father of murder got hitched." Dean told Crowley. Then the locks of the doors clicked. Elena looked around half expecting Cain to be standing there watching him.

"He's back. Come on." Dean rushed over to the front door and tried to pull it open. But it was locked.

They turned to try another path, but Cain appeared. Cain looked at the frame Elena still held, "That belongs to me."

Elena nodded and handed the frame to him. She and Cain stared at each other. Then headlights flashed from the driveway. Dean walked over to the window, moved the curtain out of the way, and saw a group of demons congregating outside. Dean could've sworn he recognized one of them, but he couldn't place where.

"I don't suppose they're with you." Dean glanced back at Cain.

"No."

Elena heard a voice yell, "I guess we can't wait any longer. Your friend Tara was very helpful! Got downright chatty... After I peeled all her skin off. We don't want any trouble, Cain. Just want the so-called King and the Winchester. I got a new master to impress, and I'm betting bagging those two will do just that." Her stomach tightened. Tara was dead. They had been followed there and none of them had caught it.

"Master?" Dean asked Crowley.

"Abaddon. This lot all need to die. I count…"

Dean cut in, "Too many," he turned to Cain, "The whammy you put on the doors that keeps us in. Will it keep them out?"

"For now." Cain was indifferent.

"I'm gonna barricade the entrances. Get ready for a fight," Dean hastily walked towards Elena, "You stay by me, okay?"

Elena nodded.

"Well, good luck with that." Cain said.

"What?"

"You exposed my home. You exposed me." Cain pointed out.

Dean rolled his eyes, "Well, boo-hoo."

Cain shook his head, "Brave, but impulsive. You truly have lived up to your reputation."

"I can't say you've lived up to yours." Dean countered

Cain began to walk over to the kitchen table, "What can I say? I'm retired. If you survive, you're welcome to join me for the last meal I will eat in this house before I disappear again. It's the least I can do."

Elena and Dean exchanged a glance and then began to push furniture in front of all the doors. "All right, we got this. You take the front." Dean ordered Crowley. Crowley listened and obediently moved into the living room swiftly shutting the glass doors behind him. Cain went to sit down at the table.

"So, this is your play? What am I not getting here? I mean it's not like you're a coward." Dean shouted.

Elena looked to Cain. He smiled, "Since when does the great Dean Winchester ask for help," he paused, "Elena, come here."

Dean glanced towards Elena and shook his head. Elena bit her lip. She didn't want to go against Dean. Cain sighed and motioned, "I could always just make you. It's easier if you come willingly."

"Leave her out of this!" Dean yelled, pointing a finger at Cain.

Elena moved towards Cain. A chair at the table moved out and he motioned for Elena to sit. She did. "She's no part in this. She'll sit here. And if you live she'll leave with you. If not…well she can go on back home. Let's find out." He snapped his fingers. Simultaneously the door opened and the fridge that Dean had moved in front of it flew out of the way. Elena felt her whole body stiffen. Cain had done something to her and she had become immobile.

Two demons came rushing into the room and with another snap of his fingers the door slammed shut. The demons stared at Cain and Elena, slightly confused at their seated position.

"Oh, don't mind us." He motioned to Dean, "Enjoy yourself." Dean clenched his jaw and pulled the demon blade from his jacket. Another demon crashed through the glass doors behind him. Elena saw his face flinch as the glass sprayed his back. He tried to stab the demon, but he missed. Instead the demon delivered a swift punch to Dean's stomach.

Elena tried to break free, but Cain's hold was too strong. She inhaled deeply and focused on trying to escape. Dean was flung across the room to where the other two demons were. Cain had begun to shuck corn, which further infuriated Elena.

As Dean continued to fight off the demons Elena asked Cain, "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm only observing," he paused, "You're trying to break free, but you aren't strong enough. Not yet."

Elena was about to respond when Dean was flipped onto the table. Elena tried to move to help him but it was pointless. Then one of the demons took the blade right out of Dean's hand.

Cain leant over and calmly encouraged, "Doing great."

Dean shot him a look and then channeled his anger onto one of the demons. He kicked her as hard as he could and sent her towards the far wall of the room. He moved to punch the demon that had broken in through the window, and swiftly kicked him into the counter.

"You know Elena," Cain began to speak with her, distracting her from Dean's fighting, "You are very interesting to me."

Elena could not take her eyes from Dean, "Why?"

"What you are…extremely rare." Cain had begun to shuck corn.

"I don't even know what I am." Elena harshly replied as her eyes followed Dean. He had just been thrown into the cabinets on the other side of the room. Elena tried to wiggle free, but it was hopeless.

Cain chuckled. Just then Dean grabbed the last demon and slammed him onto the table. The demon blade in hand, Dean stabbed him in the neck violently. Elena felt her body relax and she jumped up from her seat. She moved towards Dean, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't let me move." Elena whispered. Dean shot a glare at Cain

"What? Was that some kind of a test?"

Cain moved to grab a can of beer. He turned towards Dean and Elena, "I felt connected to you right from the beginning, both of you albeit in different ways. Kindred spirits, if you will. You and I are very much alike Dean." Dean felt a wave of possession flash over him. He hadn't liked the way Cain had been watching Elena.

"Right, except I didn't kill my brother." Dean countered.

"You saved yours. Why?" Cain asked.

"Because you never give up on family - ever."

"Where's your brother now, then?" Cain asked.

Dean at the peak of frustration ground out, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, and I don't really care. Just give me the damn blade."

"Sorry, Dean. I have nothing to hand over." Cain smiled politely.

"What?" Elena asked in complete disbelief.

"I no longer have the blade. It's gone" Cain seemed completely unaffected by his admission.

Crowley came barging into the room. Elena had completely forgotten about him. He looked beyond frustrated, ""Gone"? What do you mean, "gone"? How? The spell brought us here to you, so it has to be here." Elena was relieved to finally see some genuine emotion from Crowley.

"Your spell brought you to the source of the blade's power. Me." Cain pulled his right sleeve up to reveal a mark on his forearm. It looked like it had been burned there. It had a pink tinge to it, almost like scar tissue.

"It's the bloody mark of Cain." Crowley whispered.

Cain nodded, "From Lucifer himself. The mark and the blade work together. Without the mark, the blade is useless. It's just an old bone."

"A bone?" Crowley asked.

"The jawbone of an animal. The jawbone you used to kill Abel because he was God's favorite." Dean explained. Elena glanced at him, surprised at his knowledge on the subject.

"Abel wasn't talking to God. He was talking to Lucifer. Lucifer was gonna make my brother into his pet. I couldn't bear to watch him be corrupted, so I offered a deal - Abel's soul in heaven for my soul in hell. Lucifer accepted... As long as I was the one who sent Abel to heaven. So, I killed him. Became a soldier of Hell - a knight." Cain told them.

"And Lucifer ordered you to make more." Dean connected the dots.

Cain continued, "My knights and I, we did horrible things - for centuries. Bringers of chaos and darkness."

"Then you met Colette." Elena murmured.

Cain seemed to soften, "She knew who I was... and what I was. She loved me unconditionally. She forgave me. She only asked for one thing."

Elena nodded and felt sadness, "She wanted you to stop."

"When the knights found out, they took retribution. They took Colette, so I picked the First Blade back up, and it felt so good to have it in my hands again, and I slaughtered the Knights of Hell." Satisfaction oozed from Cain, even if this had occurred so long ago.

"Not all of them." Dean pointed out.

Cain responded, "No. I went to Colette…Abaddon had possessed her. Abaddon wanted us to be forever, not just the Knights, but her and I as well. She started to hurt Colette; I could hear her bones crunching. I went to stab Abaddon, but she left Colette's body and instead…" Cain cleared his throat, "So I buried her, and I walked away."

Dean responded quickly, "Well, I'm sorry - truly. But I have to stop Abaddon. So, where is the Blade?"

Cain began to walk away, "No."

Elena tried to hold Dean back as he chased after Cain. Elena felt for Cain, she almost pitied him. He lived a life of sadness and now, loneliness.

"Hey! Listen, you son of a bitch. You may be done killing, but I'm not." Dean yelled at Cain. Cain turned around and grasped the demon knife that was still in Dean's hand and plunged it into his own chest. Elena gasped, surprised at the abrupt action. She had never really been scared of Dean before, but his intensity in the words he spoke frightened her.

"You never give up on anything, do you?" Cain asked.

"Never." Dean said.

"Not even for her?" Cain nodded towards Elena.

Dean remained silent, thinking of what to say. Elena felt like Cain was giving him an out of all of this. Dean could walk away right now and not suffer anything. But Elena was not sure he was going to.

"Well, I did." Cain said softly. He pulled the knife out his chest and disappeared.

OoOoOo

Elena steadied herself, her head spinning. She felt slightly nauseous. She looked around and saw she was standing in a small grove of trees. Cain knelt down before a small tombstone. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Cain?"

He ignored her. Instead he talked to the grave, "I've tried. I've tried, Colette, to see myself as you did. But I know who I am - Seen what I am. I know you watch over me still. But I need you to look away now." The words he spoke began to make sense to Elena. He was going to help Dean. But by helping Dean he was going to hurt him. And Cain and Elena both knew it.

Cain stood and wiped the dirt that was on his clothing. He stared up at Elena. She felt her heart rate begin to increase. She didn't know why he had brought her here or what he was going to do. For a second, an image of a frenzied Dean ran into her mind. She wanted to go back to him.

"Why am I here?" Elena asked softly.

"I am sorry for what I am about to do. I just want you to understand that." Cain told her.

"Then why are you doing it?" Elena knew she would not be able to change what was going to happen.

Cain stepped closer to her. He ignored her question and instead said, "I'm afraid you will not be able to help him. But try." Elena could not even comprehend what he was saying because Cain touched Elena's shoulder and they disappeared.

OoOoOo

Elena leaned against the kitchen table. She wasn't sure what to do or think. She opened her eyes, but quickly closed them. The room was spinning as waves of nausea rolled through her. Dean rushed over to her. He tilted her head up and forced her to look at him.

"What did you do?" Dean snapped at Cain. He cupped Elena's face in his hands. She opened her eyes and was relieved to find that the spinning had stopped.

"I'm fine Dean, I'm fine." Elena whispered.

"Yeah well it doesn't look like it," Dean turned to Cain, "What the hell, man? You in or out? "

"I can give you the mark, Dean, if it's what you truly want." Cain said.

Elena paled. Dean stared at her, looking for her permission or some sort of response. Dean stood and turned to face Cain. Elena began to acclimate to being in a stationary position.

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"The mark can be transferred to someone who's worthy." Cain said.

"You mean a killer like you?" Dean questioned. Elena squeezed Dean's hand. She had seen his whole life and she would not use the word "killer" to describe him. But Dean saw himself as cold-blooded.

"Yes."

"Can I use it to kill Abaddon?"

"Yes. But you have to know with the mark comes a great burden. Some would call it a great cost." Cain looked at Elena while he spoke. She knew that by Dean accepting the mark everything was going to change.

"Yeah, well, spare me the warning label."

"Dean…wait." Elena whispered.

Dean turned and looked down at her, "Elena, this is the only way I can kill her. I'll be okay."

"Good luck, Dean. You're gonna to need it." Cain told him.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Let's dance." Dean moved away from Elena and towards Cain. Cain grasped Dean's right forearm tightly. A line of red veins began to spread onto Dean's forearm from the mark on Cain. Dean gasped as the pain settled onto his forearm. Elena didn't realize she had grasped her own arm as a stinging sensation had arisen. When she looked down she saw a brief blistered shape on her arm and then it vanished.

"Dean?" Crowley asked.

Elena moved beside Dean and put her hand over the mark on Dean's skin. It felt warm, but Dean sighed in relief as soon as she touched him.

"I'm fine. All right, where the hell did you stash the damn Blade?"

"Nothing can destroy the blade, so I threw it to the bottom of the deepest ocean. It's the only way I could keep my promise to Colette. You find the blade, kill Abaddon, but make me a promise first. When I call you - and I will call - you come find me and use the blade on me." Cain stated his terms.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"For what I'm about to do." Cain put his arms around the three of them and there was a brief period of darkness.

Cain had moved them outside of the house. Elena let out a breath, "I'm getting sick of that."

They watched as a ridiculous amount of demons ambushed the house. Then a red light emanated from the windows of Cain's home. "They're all trapped in there." Crowley was in awe.

"With him." Dean finished.

Elena looked at the Impala and back to the cabin. "Let's leave." She said softly to Dean.

Dean looked down on her, his stare lingering.

"Sounds like a plan."

OoOoOo

They had pulled off into a rundown parking lot about fifteen miles from where Cain had been. The ride was silent. Elena just stared at the mark on Dean's arm. Had he realized his shirtsleeve was still rolled up? There was a pit in her stomach for too many reasons to count. She had not forgotten that her and Dean were supposed to be having a defining conversation soon as well. But how was that going to happen?

The three of them stood outside of the impala trying to figure out what just happened. Crowley sighed and glanced at Dean, "He was right, you know. You are worthy."

Elena shook her head, "Be quiet Crowley."

Crowley laughed softly, "Come now Elena, surely you must understand by now. Nobody hates Dean more than he hates himself."

Dean glared at Crowley. He ignored his comment and focused on what was really bothering him, "So, how do we find this blade?"

"You can't search the bottom of the ocean, but I can. So, I'll find it and bring it to its new owner."

"I saw you, Crowley. Back at Cain's. You dusted that undercard demon, and then you just sat back and watched the main event. You knew. You knew about the mark. You knew about Abaddon and Cain. You knew all of it. And you played me. Why?" Dean pressed. Elena realized how much sense it made. How had she not seen it?

"He would never have given me the blade. Who can say no to you? I needed you two to play along." Crowley shrugged.

"You knew we were being followed, and you didn't say anything."

"Well, Cain would want we were to see his prize fighter up close. You plus demons equals fight night." Crowley was amused.

Dean clenched his jaw and ground out, "Tara died. Thanks to you. Elena could have been hurt, hell at the rate the demons were coming in she could have been killed too."

"Omelets. Broken eggs. Et cetera." Crowley brushed off Dean's comments. Without further words, Dean punched Crowley in the face. Elena's heart leapt. She hadn't expected that.

"After I kill Abaddon, you're next!" Dean yelled at him.

"You don't mean that. We're having too much fun. Listen up. Even with the blade, we're gonna need all the help we can get against Abaddon." Crowley was alluding to Sam.

Dean responded, "Go find the blade."

"It's always something with you boys, isn't it?" Crowley's gaze lingered on Elena and then he disappeared. It felt strange only having Dean there after being surrounded by people for the majority of the day. Dean hissed and covered the mark.

"Dean? What is it?" Elena asked.

"It burns." Dean bit out.

Elena covered his hand with hers and he visibly relaxed. Dean rested his forehead against Elena's and exhaled roughly. She leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his. Dean shook his head, "Elena, I'm so sorry."

Elena said nothing.

"I didn't have a choice."

Elena bit her lip, "Dean, there's always a choice. You took the mark."

Dean conceded, "I know I did."

Elena rubbed her thumb over the raised mark on his arm. "Does it still hurt?" Elena asked, her voice soft.

Dean shook his head, "It's better now," Dean cleared his throat, "We should get outta here."

"Where are we going?" Elena asked.

"The bunker."

"Really?" Elena was not sure that was the best idea. With Sam and Kevin gone it just seemed like a bad idea.

Dean took a breath, "Elena, it's the closest thing I have to a home right now."

She nodded.

The two of them headed for the bunker.  
OoOoOo

"You've dreamt of me becoming a demon?" Dean asked incredulously. He had no idea. He studied Elena. She was nervous, he could tell, but there was something else. Dean crossed his arms over his chest.

Elena nodded.

"Was this like a one time thing or…" Dean trailed off.

"Twice."

"Twice?"

Elena nodded.

"Will you tell me about them?" Dean asked.

Elena looked away and out the window at the passing landscape. Trees and farmhouses faded as Dean sped down the road. Dean clenched his jaw as he glanced at her. He wanted to know the details of the dreams, but it was not going to change anything. Elena kept looking out the window, but began to speak.

"I was hurt, Sam was unconscious on the ground beside me. And you weren't moving. I knelt over you and tried to shake you, but you didn't budge. Then you opened your eyes. They were black." Elena's voice was soft.

Dean nodded, "Alright and the second?"

Elena took a breath, "We were-I think we were about to have sex. And your eyes went black."

Dean raised his eyebrows and then he took Elena's hand in his. She stopped looking out the window and stared at Dean. He gave her hand a quick squeeze. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she could feel how anxious he was.

"I'm not a demon Elena. And this mark isn't going to make me become one." Dean spoke gently.

"We don't know what it's going to do." Elena whispered.

The rest of the ride was quiet.

OoOoOo

The bunker was as silent as the car ride. Elena walked wordlessly to her bedroom and dropped her bag. She grabbed a bath towel from the top of her dresser and walked into the bathroom. As she turned on the hot water she heard Dean's bedroom door opening and closing. She took a quick shower and tried to think about anything else aside from Cain or Sam. Her mind could not slow. She was scared.

She wrapped the white cotton towel around her waist and brushed out her hair. Steam left the bathroom as she walked out. After some hesitation, Elena walked towards Dean's room. Before she could knock, Dean opened the door.

"Feel any better?" He murmured.

She shook her head. Dean moved out of the way and Elena stepped in. She sat on the edge of the bed. Dean stood before her.

"What's our next move?" Elena asked.

"I don't know yet. Hunt until we hear from Crowley or Cas." Dean shrugged. Elena stared at Dean. She stood up and walked before him. She took his hand in hers. Her thumb drew lazy circles on his skin. The mark stuck out on Dean's skin. Elena moved closer and rested her head on his chest. Dean rested his chin on the top of her head and then he kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to protect you Elena." Dean promised.

And she knew he meant it. But all she could think about was who was going to protect him. Elena looked up at him. His eyes were pleading with her to understand him, to trust him. She cupped his face in her hands and pulled his face down closer to hers. Elena pressed her lips against his. His warmth welcomed her, the feeling that erupted within in her was soothing and tempting. Dean pulled her closer. The desire to be near her was building.

Elena's fingers lingered at the waistline of his jeans and her fingers crept underneath his t-shirt. Dean's body was hard and sculpted, every muscle defined. Years of hunting had kept him in shape. Elena moved to pull his shirt off and Dean let her. She admired his chest, her fingers tracing along his abdomen.

Dean felt himself twitch with arousal, "Elena…we can't."

It was like he could read her thoughts. "Yes we can." Elena murmured.

"Technically no, you're seventeen. That won't sit well with me." Dean was fighting an internal battle.

Elena shook her head, "I turned eighteen on June 22."

Dean scoffed, "You didn't tell me about your birthday."

Elena shrugged, "It was awhile ago. There were more pressing things happening. Wasn't really up to a celebration."

Dean studied her and then took a step back. Elena bit her lip. She knew she wanted Dean and she didn't want her to reject him. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away. Dean let out a frustrated groan.

"Dean…" Elena trailed off.

"This is what you want? Me?" Dean's voice had slightly risen.

Elena nodded.

"This is crazy." He muttered to himself. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out another breath.

"Dean, we aren't doing anything wrong. I want to be with you." Elena stated.

"You don't think you are making a huge mistake?" Dean questioned.

Elena laughed outright, "No."

Dean said nothing.

Elena took a chance and moved towards Dean. She could feel the internal battle he was having with himself. She knew how Dean had been in past relationships. He was the love 'em and leave 'em type. His life with Lisa was the closest to normal, but that had not worked out in the end. And while Elena didn't have a ton of experience, she knew that this was not a mistake.

She forced Dean to look at her. "Tell me you don't want me and I'll walk away." Elena was not sure if she was playing fair. Dean looked almost angry as he studied her. And the next thing she knew he had his mouth on hers and he was pushing them towards his bed. The towel Elena had covering her was off her before her back his Dean's mattress.

Elena's legs were open and Dean rested between them. She could feel how excited he was. The bulge in the front of his jeans made the anticipation intensify. She had always imagined her first time would be this awkward, fumbling experience. Yet, she felt no nerves or insecurity. Dean's hands roamed down her body. She felt wrapped her arms around his neck and let out a soft moan.

Dean's fingers gripped her thigh. Elena needed him to touch her, her body screamed for it. She felt a finger at her entrance and she moved against it. Dean let out a breathy chuckle.

"It's okay, I've got you." He whispered.

She felt his finger move inside her and Elena gasped at the intrusion. Her back arched and Dean took the opportunity to take her nipple into his mouth. Elena cried out, the sensations new and overwhelming her. Dean began to move his finger in and out of her creating a foreign feeling for Elena. She tossed her head to the side, her eyes closed tight. Dean stared down at her. He was a fool to think he never wanted her or he could be without her. It struck him that he was the only person to ever see her this way and it made him lose a piece of control.

"Please don't stop." Elena spoke breathlessly.

As Dean pushed a little harder, a little faster, Elena flung her arms around her. Her thigh muscles began to tighten as the ache between her legs began to build. Dean kissed her neck; his hand palmed her breast as Elena came apart. She cried out as Dean held her. Elena's body felt more relaxed than it ever had before.

Dean rolled onto his back and pulled Elena with him. She rested her head on his chest. His heart beat loudly in her ear. Dean continued to rub her back. Elena kissed his chest as her fingers toyed with the belt buckle he still wore. Dean looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

Elena unclasped his buckle and Dean stood. Elena missed the warmth he had brought. He quickly undid his jeans and pulled them off, along with his boxer briefs. Elena did not know the face she made, but Dean smiled softly at her. She watched as he bent over and grabbed a condom from the drawer.

"Is this okay?" He asked.

Elena's mouth had gone dry at the site of him exposed. She looked up at him, "Come be with me." She whispered.

Dean crawled over her and settled back between her legs. Elena looked up at him, a gentle smile on her lips. Dean caressed her left cheek and kissed her. This moment, he would remember. She felt him at her entrance and she spread her legs a little wider. Dean looked down at her and interlocked one of her hands with his. He felt Elena squeeze his hand as he moved inside of her. He groaned, his eyes closing as he pushed into her. Elena's pained gasp turned quickly into a soft moan as her body became accustomed to the feel of him inside of her.

Dean waited until Elena looked at him before he pulled out slightly. She moaned again as Dean began to move more. Elena couldn't describe the feeling, but something was building. All she could see and feel was Dean. She felt warm and safe and loved. Dean changed positions and grabbed the edge of the bed. Elena bit his shoulder to keep from crying out. Dean grunted, his soft noises and sounds exciting Elena even more.

Elena's breathing became ragged, her vision blurry. Dean's motions became more aggressive and intense. He brought his head into the nook of Elena's neck and she held him tightly.

"I'm close." He was barely audible.

She looked at him, his eyes piercing her. Elena began to open her mouth as Dean cried out, his body shuddering. Elena's legs shook beneath her and without control. Dean held Elena as she let out a soft laugh.

"They won't stop shaking."

Dean grinned, his body still buzzing from his orgasm. He kissed Elena once more and gently nipped at his lip. Elena then felt warmth and heat buzzing over her body. Her stomach tightened into knots and she felt her chest tighten. It felt like the whole room was spinning and she was floating. Her mind began to race and she paniced. And then it faded.

When she looked down, Dean's eyes were closed. And everything looked and seemed normal. Then she felt an overwhelming sense of love wash over her. It was completely raw and it made her eyes water. She took a gasping breath and looked away from Dean. She knew she was feeling Dean's emotions. It made sense now. She thought back to what Katherine had said, consummation would bring about changes.

"You okay?" Dean whispered.

"Do you feel that?" Elena whispered.

Dean moved onto his side and looked at Elena. Elena focused on the feeling and tried to make Dean feel it. She focused her energy onto him. Dean's eyes widened with realization.

"That's you…what you're feeling? Right?" Elena murmured.

Dean, for the first time this evening, felt insecure. Love was not something he was comfortable with. He did not want to broach the topic. He was afraid if he said it out loud Elena would be ripped away just like everyone else.

"Elena…" He trailed off.

Dean nodded, but it was clear he was uncomfortable. Elena sat up slowly, her legs feeling like jelly. Dean kissed the back of her shoulder. Elena smiled back at him.

"Come shower with me?" Elena asked.

"You already showered?" Dean grinned.

"Yeah. you didn't though. Come on."

Elena took Dean's hand and they walked to the bathroom.

Her heart wouldn't stop racing.

OoOoOo

When Elena awoke it was only one in the morning. Dean was sound asleep beside her. After their shower, both of them conceded it was time to fall asleep. She had fallen asleep wrapped in his arms. Her mind had finally slowed.

Now she was only thirsty. She grabbed one of his t-shirts and walked out his room and into the bunker. When she turned on the light to the kitchen Castiel was standing before her.

"Damn it Cas, you scared me." Elena gasped.

"My apologies." He spoke.

He looked down at Elena. She flushed and glanced away. "Uh, what are you doing here?" She could not focus.

Castiel took a step toward her, "You are different."

Elena blushed, "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you are lying. You're color is different." Castiel told her.

"My color?" Elena whispered. She was not about to share what happened with Castiel, not yet anyway.

"You need to come with me Elena." Castiel changed topics abruptly.

"What? Why?" Elena asked.

"I'll explain when we get there. But we have to go now."

"I'll go tell Dean. He'll be ready in a minute." Elena went to turn back to Dean's room.

Castiel gently reached out to her. She turned back towards him, "Cas, what are you doing?"

Castiel gave her a sympathetic look and then brought his fingers to his forehead.

Then it was dark.

OoOoOoO

**Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!**


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